Category Manager Culinary (m/f/d)

Symrise; Holzminden; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Symrise is seeking a Category Manager Culinary to drive growth, strategy, and the innovation pipeline for the Culinary category. You will act as the category expert, translating market and customer needs into portfolio and commercial opportunities.

You will collaborate with Marketing, Portfolio, SCI, Technical, R&T, and Market Clusters to lead cross-functional initiatives and ensure alignment across global markets. Fluency in English is required, with additional languages a plus.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience, ideally in the food, ingredients, or flavor industry.
• Experience in Category Management, Business Development, Sales, Innovation, or a comparable strategic/commercial role.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects and collaborate across markets and functions.
• Strong strategic, commercial, and innovation mindset with the ability to turn market and customer insights into growth opportunities.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Proactive, structured, adaptable, and results-oriented with the ability to work independently.
• Comfortable working in an international matrix organization.
• Fluent English; German, French, Dutch, or other languages are an advantage.
• Willingness to travel regularly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Culinary category strategy together with the Category Director.
• Identify growth opportunities based on market, customer, regulatory, and technical insights.
• Monitor sales, profitability, and category performance and define actions together with Sales.
• Contribute to key business planning processes, including AOP and GGP.
• Identify emerging trends, customer needs, and new growth opportunities.
• Build and manage the innovation pipeline with Marketing, Portfolio, SCI, Technical, R&T, and Market Cluster teams.
• Lead cross-functional innovation projects and identify portfolio gaps and opportunities.
• Ensure EAME needs are represented in the global innovation agenda.
• Act as the Culinary category expert within customer and Key Account teams.
• Translate category strategy and innovation into relevant customer solutions and commercial opportunities.
• Support customer strategy, portfolio discussions, and strategic projects.
• Partner with Market Clusters to commercialize innovations and drive profitable growth.
• Support key customer visits and provide input on strategic pricing and CPC guidance.

Skills

Category Management

Business Development

Sales

Innovation

Job description

About Us

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances and flavors, cosmetic active ingredients as well as functional ingredients. Its customers include perfume, cosmetics, food and beverage manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of dietary supplements and pet food.

With sales of around €4.9 billion in the 2025 financial year, the company is one of the world's leading providers. The Group, headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, has more than 100 locations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia, the USA and Latin America.

Together with its customers, Symrise develops new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an indispensable part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked.

Symrise – always inspiring more...

Your Role

As Category Manager Culinary, you will drive the growth, strategy, and innovation pipeline of the Culinary category. You will act as the category expert, connecting market and customer needs with portfolio, innovation, and commercial opportunities.

Category Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute the Culinary category strategy together with the Category Director.
• Identify growth opportunities based on market, customer, regulatory, and technical insights.
• Monitor sales, profitability, and category performance and define actions together with Sales.
• Contribute to key business planning processes, including AOP and GGP.

Innovation

• Identify emerging trends, customer needs, and new growth opportunities.
• Build and manage the innovation pipeline with Marketing, Portfolio, SCI, Technical, R&T, and Market Cluster teams.
• Lead cross-functional innovation projects and identify portfolio gaps and opportunities.
• Ensure EAME needs are represented in the global innovation agenda.

Customer & Commercial Support

• Act as the Culinary category expert within customer and Key Account teams.
• Translate category strategy and innovation into relevant customer solutions and commercial opportunities.
• Support customer strategy, portfolio discussions, and strategic projects.
• Partner with Market Clusters to commercialize innovations and drive profitable growth.
• Support key customer visits and provide input on strategic pricing and CPC guidance.

About You

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience, ideally in the food, ingredients, or flavor industry.
• Experience in Category Management, Business Development, Sales, Innovation, or a comparable strategic/commercial role.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects and collaborate across markets and functions.
• Strong strategic, commercial, and innovation mindset, with the ability to turn market and customer insights into growth opportunities.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Proactive, structured, adaptable, and results-oriented with the ability to work independently.
• Comfortable working in an international matrix organization.
• Fluent English; German, French, Dutch, or other languages are an advantage.
• Willingness to travel regularly.

Our Offer

Become part of our open and transparent culture. It will give you the opportunity to flourish and to develop inspiring experiences that contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries around the world. Putting our employees in the focus fuels our strong company growth above market rates and makes us an excellent place to develop your career.

Come join us and embark on a fascinating journey with Symrise.