Category Development Lead - Grocery & eCommerce: 12 month fixed term contract

Nestlé; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car Allowance

Annual bonus

Pension scheme

Flexible holiday days

Paid volunteering days

Personal development focus

Job summary

Nestlé is looking for a Customer Category Lead to join their Grocery & eCommerce team. This role is vital for driving growth and transformation while managing a team of 5. You will lead channel strategies and build partnerships to strengthen the brand.

The position is hybrid, with 2 days in the office each week, offering an attractive salary along with additional flexible holidays and personal development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Significant commercial, category development, customer management experience.
• Experience shaping and activating customer strategies and influencing stakeholders.
• Strong record of leading high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute Grocery & eCommerce channel strategies.
• Drive premiumisation and value creation through strategic planning.
• Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders.

Skills

Commercial experience

Category development

Customer management

Channel strategy

Leadership capabilities

Strategic thinking

Job description

Business Area: Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages

Customer Category Lead – Grocery & eCommerce: 12 month fixed term contract

Attractive Salary

• Potential, discretionary annual bonus
• 12 flexible days on top of 25 days annual holiday entitlement pro rata
• A focus on personal development and growth

Gatwick: Hybrid working: 2 days per week in the office

Some Of Our Other Fantastic Benefits

• Car Allowance
• Potential, discretionary annual bonus
• Generous pension scheme
• 12 flexible days on top of 25 days annual holiday entitlement pro rata
• 2 paid volunteering days
• A focus on personal development and growth

Position Summary

Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages is a standalone, globally managed business within the Nestlé Group.

The company serves consumers in more than 100 markets with a portfolio of more than 35 brands, including S.Pellegrino, Perrier, Acqua Panna, Sanpellegrino Italian Sparkling Drinks, Maison Perrier, Buxton, Essentia, Levissima, La Vie and Nestlé Pure Life. Building on its heritage and expertise in waters, Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages (NW & PB) is focused on growth in premium and better-for-you beverages, creating value for consumers, customers and stakeholders.

Water stewardship is central to the business. Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages is proud to be the only beverage company with all its bottling sites certified to the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. Working with local communities, experts and partners around the world, the company helps protect and restore water resources while supporting long-term environmental resilience.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Customer Category Lead to join our Commercial Development Team (CDT) to lead the future growth, transformation and brand-building agenda of our Grocery & eCommerce business, with accountability for building trusted category partnerships and developing a high-performing team.

As a Customer Category Lead - Grocery & eCommerce, you will shape the future of our Grocery & eCommerce business by developing and activating category and channel strategies that drive sustainable growth, create value for customers, and strengthen our brands across a wide range of consumption occasions. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of our business while helping our brands win in the moments that matter most.

Your impact

Reporting to the Head of CDT and leading a team of 5 direct reports, your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the development and execution of 12 – 36 month Grocery & eCommerce channel strategies that unlock growth opportunities across diverse customer environments
• Driving category growth, premiumisation and value creation through customer-focused insight and strategic planning
• Partnering with senior customer stakeholders to build trusted relationships and create sustainable category growth plans
• Delivering compelling category recommendations that transform insight into actionable commercial opportunities and winning execution
• Leading cross-functional collaboration to align business priorities, optimise performance and bring strategic plans to life
• Leading the Integrated Commercial Planning (ICP) process from an OOH perspective, connecting Market Business Strategy (MBS) ambitions to annual priorities, Must Win Battles and executable customer plans
• Building and inspiring a high-performing Customer Category team with capability in shopper insight, OOH dynamics, commercial storytelling and strategic influence

Your ingredients for success

The successful candidate will demonstrate breadth of Grocery & eCommerce experience, transformational leadership, brand-building capability, customer influence and strategic vision required to unlock the next phase of growth for NW&PB.

Key skills and attributes will include:

Essential:

• Significant commercial, category development, customer management and channel strategy experience within FMCG
• Demonstrated experience shaping and activating customer or channel strategies, influencing senior stakeholders and turning insight into executable commercial plans
• Relevant experience of working in Grocery and ecommerce channels and customers
• Strong leadership capability, with a track record of developing high-performing teams and delivering results through others.
• Experience leading change within complex, matrix organisations and influencing senior stakeholders internally and externally
• Evidence of strategic thinking, customer partnership, commercial judgement and the agility to solve complex problems creatively and at pace
• Strong record of cross-functional leadership and delivery of exceptional results through collaboration, challenge and shared ownership

Desirable:

• Commercial and category development experience ideally within beverages
• Deep understanding of Grocery & ecommerce channels and customers
• Ability to challenge existing thinking and identify opportunities to fundamentally reshape the Grocery and ecommerce business

What You Need To Know

Advert posting date: 18/09/2026

Advert closing date: 03/10/2026

At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect and we believe that embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment allows everyone to reach their full potential and drives innovative thinking. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, parents, carers and members of the LGBT+ community. Please let us know if we can provide accommodations to ensure your full participation in the application process.

We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity. We proudly signed the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, are committed to Disability Confidence, and have been recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for gender equality for three consecutive years. Additionally, we are a headline partner of Diversity and Inclusion in grocery.

To find out more about Nestle’s commitment to DEI: Nestlé's Commitment to a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

To find out more about your recruitment journey with Nestle: Recruitment Journey | Nestlé UK & Ireland