Category Growth Leader — Food & Innovation

d'Arta Belgium; Ardooie; Remote; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Bonus

Attractive benefits

Job summary

Darta Belgium is seeking a commercially driven Category Development Expert to bridge customer needs with internal innovation, marketing and R&D. You will be the voice of the customer to key accounts and collaborate with Category Managers across European retail and foodservice partners to identify growth opportunities and drive category strategy.

You will connect Sales, Marketing and R&D to accelerate value creation, develop category growth plans, translate trends into development projects, and

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 5-10 years in category/brand management or key accounts.
• Experience in FMCG or retail environments is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with Category Managers and Buying Teams at key retail accounts.
• Identify emerging consumer trends and category opportunities.
• Develop category growth plans and strategic recommendations for customers.
• Generate insights using market, shopper and category data.
• Detect innovation opportunities within Darta's existing capabilities.
• Translate customer needs into concrete development projects.
• Work closely with R&D and Marketing to evaluate and prioritize opportunities.
• Support customer-specific innovation programs.
• Act as a central connector between: Sales, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Key Customers.
• Ensure opportunities are effectively communicated and converted into business projects.
• Facilitate regular innovation review meetings.
• Support Key Account Managers during strategic customer discussions.
• Prepare customer presentations and category reviews.
• Help drive cross-selling of existing innovative products and concepts.
• Contribute to long-term account growth strategies.

Skills

Strong commercial mindset

Highly analytical and data-driven

Excellent communication and presenting

Ability to influence without authority

Strong project management capabilities

Entrepreneurial and proactive attitude

Passion for trends in food and nutr it

Education

Master's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Food Technology or related field

5-10 years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Business Development or Key Account Management

Experience within FMCG, Retail, Foodservice, Food or Consumer Goods is highly preferred

Job description

Darta Belgium is seeking a commercially driven Category Development Expert to bridge customer needs with internal innovation, marketing and R&D. You will be the voice of the customer to key accounts and collaborate with Category Managers across European retail and foodservice partners to identify growth opportunities and drive category strategy.

You will connect Sales, Marketing and R&D to accelerate value creation, develop category growth plans, translate trends into development projects, and