Category Specialist - Pastry & Bakery

Chef Middle East; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Chef Middle East is seeking a Category Specialist with Pastry & Bakery expertise to grow sales and deepen market penetration for the Center of Plate category.

The role involves providing category insights, supporting promotions, and collaborating with sales, marketing and operations to develop menu ideas and manage product availability.

Qualifications

• Requires 2–5 years in sales/marketing in foodservice.
• Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Consultative selling skills preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; high school diploma required.

Responsibilities

• Provide product expertise and sales support for category including promotions, product info, pricing, and competition.
• Drive KPIs across Pastry & Bakery category.
• Gather marketing intelligence and customer feedback on products, pricing, trends, and innovations.
• Support category management with marketing materials and events; assist with sourcing and inventory.
• Support sales team with demos and education on COP products; collaborate across departments.
• Help customers develop new menu ideas tailored to their needs.
• Assist sales in opening new accounts and penetrating existing accounts with samples and demos.

Skills

Sales experience

Marketing experience

Consultative selling

Verbal communication

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Presentation skills

Training skills

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Chef Middle East is growing and are looking for a Category Specialist experienced in Pastry & Bakery. The primary purpose of this position is to increase sales and penetration of the COP (Center of Plate) category by providing category expertise and selling both Pastry & Bakery.

Responsibilities:

• Provide product expertise and sales support for all aspects of the category including promotional opportunities, product information, suggested pricing & competitive information.
• Drive KPIs across Pastry & Bakery category.
• Assist in category growth by acquiring and providing marketing intelligence and customer feedback on product offerings, pricing, trends and innovations in the market; provide input into marketing / selling materials and events at the Market and assist Category Management with sourcing and inventory requirements.
• Supports sales team through demos and education on COP products. Functions as a team member within the department and cross functional departments, as required.
• Help customers develop new menu ideas that are catered to fit their needs and capabilities.
• Assist Sales team in opening new accounts and penetrating existing accounts with product samplings and demos.

Qualifications & Experience:

• High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 2-5 years experience in sales/marketing, business, or related area within foodservice industry.
• Consultative selling skills preferred.
• Possesses strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as solid interpersonal, presentation and training skills required.