Category Manager Benelux

Laboratoires Pierre Fabre; Brussel Hoofdstad; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Laboratoires Pierre Fabre is seeking a Category Manager to drive category growth and shopper-centric strategies in pharmacy/retail across Belgium. You will translate brand strategy into category plans, planograms, and shelving principles, while developing customer trade stories for JBPs with KAMs.

You will analyze sell-out data and shopper insights to shape assortments, distribution priorities, and retail KPIs, collaborating with KAM, Brand, and Retail Activation teams to ensure execution.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing or Key Account Management in Pharmacy/Retail/FMCG.
• Proven ability to build shopper-centric category growth plans and shelving principles/planograms.
• Strong skill in translating sell-out data and shopper insights into actionable customer trade stories and category diagnoses.
• Solid understanding of Joint Business Planning (JBP) and Net Revenue Management (NRM).

Responsibilities

• Develop category diagnosis: performance by channel/customer and shopper needs.
• Build category growth plan with clear role per brand/segment and channel.
• Define assortment recommendations and distribution priorities; support delist/relist cases.
• Create planograms principles and merchandising standards for key channels.
• Develop customer trade stories and support JBPs with KAMs (NRM inputs).
• Track category KPIs: distribution, shelf quality, OOS signals, promo compliance (BI).
• Partner with Retail Activation to ensure category plans translate into execution.

Skills

Category management

Trade marketing

KAM

Shopper insights

JBP

NRM

BI tools

Stakeholder management

Data translation

Education

Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or related field

Tools

BI tools

IQVIA

Nielsen

GfK

Job description

Drive category and portfolio growth in pharmacy/retail by translating brand strategy into shopper/customer-centric category plans: assortments, planograms, shelving principles, and customer trade stories - improving distribution quality, visibility, and conversion, partnering with KAM.

Identify, generate and validate any opportunity for value-creating collaboration with customers.

Challenge brand and category strategies based on sell out and shopper analyzes and insights thanks to feedback from brands.

• Develop category diagnosis: performance by channel/customer, shopper needs, competitive dynamics.
• Build category growth plan with clear role per brand/segment and channel.
• Define assortment recommendations and distribution priorities; support delist/relist cases.
• Create planograms principles and merchandising standards for key channels.
• Develop customer trade stories and support JBPs with KAMs (with NRM inputs).
• Track category KPIs: distribution, shelf quality, OOS signals, promo compliance (with BI).
• Partner with Retail Activation to ensure category plans translate into execution.

Who you are ?

Education & Diploma

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a related commercial field.

Experience & Expertise

• Relevant Background: 2 to 4 years of experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, or Key Account Management, preferably within the Pharmacy, Retail, or FMCG sector.
• Category & Shopper Skills: Proven track record in building shopper-centric category growth plans, defining assortment strategies, and setting up shelving principles/planograms.
• Analytical Power: Strong ability to translate complex sell-out data, shopper insights, and market trends (e.g., IQVIA, Nielsen, GfK) into actionable customer trade stories and category diagnoses.
• Commercial Acumen: Solid understanding of Joint Business Planning (JBP), retail KPIs, and Net Revenue Management (NRM) inputs. Familiarity with BI tools to track distribution and shelf quality is highly valued.
• Cross-Functional Team Player: Excellent stakeholder management skills with a demonstrated ability to partner effectively with Key Account Managers (KAM), Brand Management, and Retail Activation teams.

Languages

• Trilingual: Full professional proficiency in Dutch, French, and English (written and spoken) is required to effectively communicate with internal stakeholders and local retail/pharmacy partners.