Category Development Manager

Mars; Waltham on the Wolds; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Category Leadership professional in the UK to drive growth through category leadership initiatives, insights, and strategic planning with key retailers.

You will lead category strategy development, implement range reviews, and collaborate with sales and insights teams to maximize on-shelf performance and long-term partnerships. Mars offers a market-competitive salary and bonus opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering category management using market, shopper and consumer insights.
• Lead range review processes from inception to post-review analysis.
• Deliver NPD launches with category-focused selling stories and shelf opportunities.
• Translate insights into actionable strategies and merchandising solutions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver best in class Category Management using market, consumer and shopper insights for customer and operational teams.
• Lead the range review process from inception to post-review analysis.
• Deliver Mars NPD launches into accounts with category stories and shelf opportunities.
• Collaborate with insight teams to deepen account understanding.
• Develop and execute a 3-year Category strategy aligned with the retailer.
• Set joint targets with Sales using the picture of success model.
• Maintain and nurture customer relationships according to the contact strategy.

Skills

Category Leadership

FMCG knowledge

Analytical skills

Customer engagement

Job description

Job Description

This role is responsible for delivering best in class category leadership with our customers to drive growth and customer engagement. Using a mix of market, shopper and customer insights to identify category growth opportunities, the role leverages these through excellence in all Category Leadership initiatives, tactics and practices. Key initiatives and deliverables of the role are to lead the development and execution of the category picture of success through strategic category plans, enabling us to build strong and sustainable category partnerships and sustainable category growth of our respective categories.

What will be your key responsibilities?

Category And Insights Business Orientation

• Deliver best in class Category Management by taking an objective total category perspective when providing market, consumer and shopper insights to customer/operational teams.


• Responsible for of the Range review process from inception through to implementation and delivery of post review analysis.


• Delivery of Mars NPD launches into the account including creating category focused selling stories, identifying listing opportunities/challenges and providing merchandising solutions to maximise on shelf delivery.


• Collaboration with insight colleagues to deliver in depth account understanding.

Strategy Development And Vision

• Deliver the category vision content, tailored to the retailer by developing a clear 3 year Category strategy aligned with the retailer.


• Understand and deploy vision to the shelf for the account, collaborating with Sales to set joint targets using the picture of success model.

Customer Relationships

• Delivery of customer relationships, meetings and interaction vs the contact strategy.

What skills do you need?

• Customer experience with ability to engage, influence and impact customers by providing guidance on strategic direction of category.


• Category Leadership expertise.


• Broad and in depth understanding of FMCG context and retail landscape.


• High analytical acumen with ability to drive and translate insights into relevant strategies and tactics (actions / initiatives) internally and for execution with our customers.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.


• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.


• A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.


• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.