CS&P and Category Operations Associate Manager - Skin Care and H&W

Unilever; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the beauty and wellbeing sector seeks a Category Operations Associate Manager in Toronto. This role is crucial for developing trade strategies based on shopper insights and executing marketing initiatives to drive brand growth. Ideal candidates have a strong background in sales strategy, exceptional analytical skills, and proficiency in data-driven decision-making.

Qualifications

• Experience in sales, customer marketing, or sales strategy (minimum 4+ years).
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel.

Responsibilities

• Develop trade strategies and monitor performance using sales reports.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for product launches and promotional activities.
• Own and review P&L, managing trade budgets for the category.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Organizational Skills

Time Management

Proactive Approach

Data-Driven Decision-Making

Education

University Degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

Categories / Brands Managed: Skin Care and H&W

What is the Category Operations Team?

The GM Led Excellence in Execution Teams focus on dedicated marketing and execution teams structured under key strategic pillars.

Our Category Operations Organization, led by the BU Lead, is responsible for all commercial levers including performance management, P&L ownership, category and brand operations, planning, shopper marketing, NRM, and category strategy. This team is organized by category and integrated into one performance management organization. The value creation and portfolio operations teams play a critical role in delivering our performance agenda, working within the Category Operations Organization in NA, with specific projects in Canada managed by the NA Value Creation team. The Canada CatOps team, owning the P&L, is responsible for unlocking GM.

The B&W Category Operations team focuses on execution across all portfolio brands in partnership with cross-functional teams.

The B&W Category Operations Lead manages the delivery of the B&W strategy and growth through customer & category development teams, category operations, and value creation.

Background & Purpose of the Job

The CS&P and Category Operations Associate Manager represents the voice of the customer and shopper in the Beauty & Wellbeing Business Unit. They ensure channel and customer insights are integrated into category and brand plans and build execution strategies aligned with retailer strategies, including in-store visibility and omnichannel shopper initiatives.

Category Operations aims to achieve targets by collaborating with Customer Development, Demand Creation, and Integrated Planning teams to optimize customer and brand activities and strategies in go-to-market planning.

This role participates in core organizational processes such as S&OP, IBP, and NRM.

Who You Are & What You’ll Do

• Develop and communicate trade strategies to the Customer Development group, monitoring performance using sales reports and Nielsen data.
• Create channel-specific strategies to meet the needs of diverse shoppers across all channels in Canada.
• Develop pricing, promotion, distribution, and shelving strategies with a focus on flawless execution.
• Collaborate with Demand Creation on product launches, relaunches, and innovation initiatives.
• Monitor and analyze competitive trade activities and recommend actions.
• Own and review P&L, managing trade budgets and trade spend for the category.
• Support the Customer Development team in achieving objectives.
• Work with cross-functional teams to develop and execute consumer-centric promotional activities based on shopper insights.
• Partner with strategic forecasting teams to identify risks and opportunities, making recommendations accordingly.
• Ensure timely and accurate information flow to the Customer Development Group.

Key Interfaces :

• Business Unit Leadership Team
• Demand Creation Team (Marketing)
• Key Account Managers
• CBD Finance Business Partner
• Cross Collaborator to CSP BU leads

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• Experience in sales, customer marketing, trade marketing, or sales strategy (minimum 4+ years).
• University degree preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.
• Independent with a proactive, entrepreneurial approach.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel.

Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors

• Passion for high performance: accountability and data-driven decision-making.
• Personal mastery: high standards and resilience.
• Consumer love: understanding and serving consumer needs.
• Purpose & service: leadership as service to others.
• Agility: continuous learning and skill development.