Category Controller

JR United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in the food sector is seeking a dynamic Category Controller to spearhead the Impulse channel. This pivotal role involves cultivating customer partnerships, driving category growth, and optimizing product availability. With a focus on collaboration and innovation, the company fosters a supportive environment for professional growth. The successful candidate will lead a small team, leveraging data insights and strategic recommendations to enhance category performance. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are passionate about making a meaningful impact, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Category Management within FMCG.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategic customer partnerships for category success.
• Lead a small team, providing coaching and performance reviews.

Skills

Category Management

Stakeholder Management

Advanced Excel

PowerPoint Skills

Planning and Organisational Skills

Attention to Detail

Multitasking Skills

Tools

Nielsen

Kantar

Circana

Lumina

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

The Business: The business is a leading company in the food industry, dedicated to creating products that people love. The culture is built on collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to excellence, and they strive to create a supportive and engaging work environment where employees can grow and thrive.

The Role: The business is looking for a Category Controller to lead the Impulse channel, which will include developing customer partnerships, driving category growth, and optimising physical availability. This role plays a key part in supporting commercial teams internally and with customers by providing top-tier category insights and strategic recommendations.

The successful candidate will manage a small team, providing leadership, development, and coaching to ensure high performance. Strong stakeholder management is essential, as the role requires building and maintaining relationships with key internal and external partners to drive category success.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategic customer partnerships, ensuring the business as a trusted partner.
• Create and implement a robust engagement plan to improve category performance by leveraging sales data and understanding customer strategies.
• Support direct reports with development plans, training, and regular performance reviews.
• Manage the Impulse category development budget and create the annual customer SLA.
• Represent the voice of the customer for the Impulse channel in key meetings and processes.
• Lead Account Planning, support business evolution, and provide merchandising insights for new product development.
• Customise the Total Category Vision for the Impulse channel and create strategies for category growth.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop activation ideas and ensure category vision engagement.

Job Requirements

• Proven experience in Category Management within FMCG.
• Knowledge of the Impulse channel (beneficial).
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills.
• Experience working with Nielsen, Kantar, Circana, and Lumina data.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Great attention to detail.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to drive change in-store and influence customer decisions.
• Strong multitasking skills to manage multiple customers and projects effectively.