Consumer Area Category Manager (m-f-d)

HP Deutschland GmbH; Böblingen; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 paid leave days

Company pension plans

Bike leasing

Employee counselling programs

Wellness initiatives

Mentoring programs

Employee networks

Job summary

HP Deutschland GmbH seeks an experienced Consumer Area Category Country Manager (m-f-d) to own end-to-end product-line management across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Drive revenue, unit volume, and Owned Gross Margin while leading cross-functional teams through influence.

You’ll develop category plans, leverage customer insights, and collaborate with Sales, Channel, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain to grow the CPS portfolio in the DACH region.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales Administration, or a related field.
• 2–5 years in category management, product/brand management, or related role; consumer/tech industry is beneficial.
• Strong analytical skills with comfort using sales figures, KPIs, and forecasts.
• Commercial acumen on revenue, gross margin, market share, and ROI.
• Excellent communication in German and English; ability to influence cross-functionally.

Responsibilities

• Shape the Consumer category business plan and growth strategy for DACH.
• Manage end-to-end product portfolio with P&L accountability; oversee pricing and assortment.
• Collaborate across Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Channel, and Alliances.
• Monitor KPIs and translate insights into concrete actions.
• Engage with retail partners and drive go-to-market initiatives.

Skills

German language

English language

Analytical thinking

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Sales

Tools

Excel

ERP/BI tools

Job description

Growing at HP - a Two-Way Proposition

At HP, you’ll have opportunities to learn, grow, develop, and shape your career while helping build a better world. From global learning platforms, courses and certifications to career mobility, leadership development and continuous feedback, HP provides an environment designed to support your growth.

Growth is a two-way proposition. We’re looking for someone who brings ambition, curiosity, and entrepreneurial spirit and is ready to:

• Step up and take responsibility rather than wait for direction
• Take on challenges and stretch beyond the comfort zone
• Use sound judgment, including when decisions need to be made with incomplete information
• Challenge the status quo constructively and find simpler, faster, or more effective ways of working
• Proactively remove obstacles rather than wait for direction
• Learn continuously from both successes and setbacks

If you are commercially minded and energized by the opportunity to own a meaningful part of HP’s Consumer business across DACH, this role offers the opportunity to make a visible impact and shape your next career step at HP.

The Role

As Consumer Area Category Country Manager (m-f-d), you will own end-to-end product-line management and drive the growth and profitability of a defined part of HP’s Consumer Personal Systems (CPS) portfolio across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

You will have product-line P&L and quota accountability for Consumer HW & Services and take ownership of revenue, unit volume, and Owned Gross Margin.

This is an individual-contributor role, not a people-manager role. You will lead through influence without direct authority, bringing together Sales, Channel, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Pricing, Business Management and Alliances.

You will develop and execute category business plans and growth strategies, use data and customer insights to identify opportunities, and build strong relationships with the sales force and external partners to champion the category in the market.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy & Business Planning: Shape the Consumer category business plan and growth strategy for DACH, identifying market opportunities and developing strategies to drive revenue and profitability. Lead product positioning and pricing strategy and translate long-term vision into short-term action plans.
• Product-Line Ownership: Manage the Consumer product portfolio end-to-end with P&L and quota accountability, including revenue, unit volume, and Owned Gross Margin (OGM). Oversee new-product introductions, assortment planning, transitions, and phase-outs to ensure the portfolio meets DACH market needs.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Work across Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Channel, Pricing, Business Management and Alliances to ensure seamless execution of category plans. Build consensus, negotiate priorities, and move decisions forward without direct authority.
• Performance & Optimization: Monitor KPIs including sales performance, market share, inventory, OGM, sell-in and sell-through. Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities and translate them into clear improvement actions.
• Customer & Market Insights: Use customer feedback, market data, and competitive insights to understand consumer needs and identify opportunities to improve products, positioning, and go-to-market strategies across DACH.
• Product Marketing: Monitor market trends, competitor offerings, and evolving consumer demand, including the shift toward solution-oriented selling and AI-driven mobility devices. Guide pricing, promotions, channel programs, product launches, messaging, and value propositions.
• Channel Partner Engagement: Build strong relationships with retail partners, distributors, and the DACH sales force. Provide product knowledge, sales tools, and insights while representing the category in internal sales and external partner meetings.
• Supply & Demand Alignment: Work with demand planning and supply-chain teams to ensure product availability while limiting expedited freight or E&O exposure. Manage product transitions in close coordination with Business Management and Pricing.
• Entrepreneurial Ownership: Act like an owner of the business. Improve processes, forecasting, and reporting; take calculated risks; challenge established approaches constructively; make decisions with appropriate speed; and proactively remove obstacles to execution.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales Administration, or a related field. However, education level shouldn’t stop you from applying – there is nothing that can’t be learned.
• 2-5 years of professional experience in category management, product/brand management, P&L management, or a related role, ideally with direct involvement in driving business results. Experience in the consumer products or technology/IT industry is highly beneficial.
• Strategic & analytical thinking with confidence working with sales figures, market research, KPIs, forecasts, and analytical tools such as Excel.
• Commercial acumen and understanding of revenue, unit volume, Owned Gross Margin, market share, inventory, and ROI, with the ability to balance these in day-to-day decisions.
• Excellent communication skills in German and English, with the ability to clearly communicate category plans and results across different audiences.
• Strong collaboration and influencing skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority, negotiate priorities, and build consensus across functions.
• Results-driven and ownership-oriented mindset, with strong project management, prioritization, and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment.
• Sound judgment and calculated risk-taking, including the ability to make decisions with incomplete information, balance speed against risk, and constructively challenge the status quo.
• Learning agility, curiosity, and resilience to thrive in a changing environment, learn quickly, and continuously develop as HP’s Consumer business evolves.

What do we have to offer?

Employee-oriented corporate culture - our «HP Way»: We value enthusiasm, regular feedback, trust and respect within our teams. We want to promote meaningful innovation within each and every employee by giving them the opportunity to grow from their mistakes and get new inspirations through collaboration in our regional/global teams.

A well-adjusted work-life-balance due to flexible working hours and home office regulations.

• Attractive salary package with additional benefits, such as 30 paid leave days, company pension plans, a long-term time account, bike leasing, employee counselling programs, wellness initiatives etc.
• Equal opportunities and continuous career development, e.g. as part of the global mentoring programs, e-learning platforms.
• Multiple Employee Impact Networks such as Next Generation Network, Women’s Network and Pride Network which organize interesting trainings and after-work events to expand your network.