Category Controller

MacGregor Black; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

MacGregor Black partners with a leading UK retail group to recruit a Category Controller in North Yorkshire. The role leads a high-performing buying and trading team to shape category strategy and drive sustainable growth.

You will own the category P&L, develop pricing and promotional plans, and build strategic supplier partnerships while collaborating with Finance, Supply Chain and Operations to optimise performance. The impact is a measurable uplift in profitability and customer value.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior Buying, Trading or Category leadership role within retail, wholesale or FMCG.
• Proven track record of leading large commercial teams and developing future talent.
• Strong commercial acumen with ownership of category P&L and financial performance.
• Excellent negotiation skills with experience delivering significant commercial agreements.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to translate data into commercial decisions.
• Experience developing long-term category strategies and delivering measurable business growth.
• Deep understanding of merchandising, pricing, supply chain and commercial operations.
• Confident stakeholder manager with the ability to influence at executive level.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing category team, creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Own category P&L, delivering sales, margin and profitability targets.
• Develop and execute category strategies that drive commercial growth and competitive advantage.
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, negotiating commercially advantageous agreements.
• Deliver customer-focused ranging, pricing and promotional strategies that maximise value and enhance the customer proposition.
• Work closely with Finance to leverage commercial insight, identify opportunities and improve business performance.
• Ensure effective supply chain management, stock availability and wastage control across the category.
• Drive operational excellence, ensuring compliance, governance and food safety standards are consistently achieved.
• Analyse market trends, customer behaviour and competitor activity to inform strategic decision making.
• Influence senior stakeholders across multiple business functions to deliver business objectives.

Skills

Category leadership

P&L ownership

Supplier negotiations

Pricing & promo planning

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

Team leadership

Job description

Are you an experienced commercial leader with the ability to shape category strategy and deliver sustainable growth?

Do you thrive on leading high-performing buying and trading teams while influencing senior stakeholders across a complex business?

Are you looking for the opportunity to take full ownership of a major category portfolio within a market-leading retail and wholesale business?

MacGregor Black are partnering with a leading UK retail group on the search for a Category Controller. This is a permanent role based in North Yorkshire.

This is a pivotal leadership position responsible for defining and delivering category strategy across a significant commercial portfolio. You'll lead a team of Category Managers and Category Assistants, driving commercial performance through strategic sourcing, supplier partnerships, pricing, promotional planning and category development.

Working cross-functionally with Finance, Supply Chain and Operations, you'll influence key business decisions while maintaining a relentless focus on customer, profitability and operational excellence. This is an opportunity to make a genuine commercial impact within a large, fast-paced and highly ambitious organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing category team, creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Own category P&L, delivering sales, margin and profitability targets.
• Develop and execute category strategies that drive commercial growth and competitive advantage.
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, negotiating commercially advantageous agreements.
• Deliver customer-focused ranging, pricing and promotional strategies that maximise value and enhance the customer proposition.
• Work closely with Finance to leverage commercial insight, identify opportunities and improve business performance.
• Ensure effective supply chain management, stock availability and wastage control across the category.
• Drive operational excellence, ensuring compliance, governance and food safety standards are consistently achieved.
• Analyse market trends, customer behaviour and competitor activity to inform strategic decision making.
• Influence senior stakeholders across multiple business functions to deliver business objectives.

What We're Looking For:

• Significant experience in a senior Buying, Trading or Category leadership role within retail, wholesale or FMCG.
• Demonstrable success leading large commercial teams and developing future talent.
• Strong commercial acumen with proven ownership of category P&L and financial performance.
• Excellent negotiation skills with experience delivering significant commercial agreements.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to translate data into commercial decisions.
• Experience developing long-term category strategies and delivering measurable business growth.
• Deep understanding of merchandising, pricing, supply chain and commercial operations.
• Confident stakeholder manager with the ability to influence at executive level.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of delivering transformational change within a trading environment.

For more information, please contact Alice Redmond.