Category Lead

Würth UK; Erith; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days holiday (raising to 28)

Pension auto-enrolment

Health Care plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Staff discount on Würth products

Job summary

Würth UK is seeking a Category Lead to own a defined product portfolio and steer its direction through market insight, product expertise, and commercial thinking. You will build a best-in-class assortment that drives growth and delivers value to customers.

In this high-impact role, you’ll partner with international teams and suppliers, shape strategy, and ensure our offer remains competitively strong while providing hands-on execution in a fast-moving commercial environment.

Qualifications

• Understanding of product lifecycle management, technical product characteristics, and real-world application.
• Ability to interpret technical specifications, safety documentation, and compliance requirements.
• Commercially minded with strong analytical capability to assess market trends, competitor activity, and performance data.
• Strong stakeholder management skills across purchasing, marketing, sales, and international teams.
• Curious, proactive, and motivated to continuously build product and category expertise.
• Confident communicator, able to translate technical detail into clear commercial and customer value.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the product portfolio in line with strategic and commercial objectives, identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, and optimisation.
• Shape and influence the category in collaboration with international partners, suppliers, purchasing, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage the full product lifecycle, including introductions, changes, rationalisation, and discontinuations, ensuring a clean and commercially optimised assortment.
• Develop and maintain deep category expertise, acting as the go-to product specialist and technical reference across the business.
• Support sales and marketing teams with product insights, technical knowledge, training materials, and customer-facing information (digital and in-person).
• Drive category growth through proactive input into campaigns, cross-functional initiatives, and promotional activity.
• Monitor, analyse, and optimise category performance, including KPIs, stock health, online presentation, and core range effectiveness.
• Ensure product data accuracy, compliance alignment, and strong commercial visibility across channels.

Skills

Product lifecycle management

Commercial analytics

Stakeholder management

Category management

Market insight

Technical knowledge

Job description

We're seeking a Category Lead to take ownership of a defined product portfolio and play a pivotal role in shaping its direction within our UK business. This is a high-impact role where you'll combine market insight, product expertise, and commercial thinking to build and optimise a best-in-class assortment that delivers for customers and drives category growth.

You'll act as the central point of expertise for your category, partnering across teams to influence strategy, enhance product performance, and ensure our offer remains competitive, relevant, and commercially strong.

If you have a passion for products, enjoy blending strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and thrive in a fast-moving commercial environment where your decisions are visible and valued, this role offers real ownership and opportunity to make a difference.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the product portfolio in line with strategic and commercial objectives, identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, and optimisation
• Shape and influence the category in collaboration with international partners, suppliers, purchasing, and internal stakeholders
• Manage the full product lifecycle, including introductions, changes, rationalisation, and discontinuations, ensuring a clean and commercially optimised assortment
• Develop and maintain deep category expertise, acting as the go-to product specialist and technical reference across the business
• Support sales and marketing teams with product insights, technical knowledge, training materials, and customer-facing information (digital and in-person)
• Drive category growth through proactive input into campaigns, cross-functional initiatives, and promotional activity
• Monitor, analyse, and optimise category performance, including KPIs, stock health, online presentation, and core range effectiveness
• Ensure product data accuracy, compliance alignment, and strong commercial visibility across channels

Skills & Experience

• Understanding of product lifecycle management, technical product characteristics, and real-world application
• Ability to interpret technical specifications, safety documentation, and compliance requirements
• Commercially minded with strong analytical capability to assess market trends, competitor activity, and performance data
• Strong stakeholder management skills across purchasing, marketing, sales, and international teams
• Curious, proactive, and motivated to continuously build product and category expertise
• Confident communicator, able to translate technical detail into clear commercial and customer value

What We Offer

• 23 days holiday (raising up to 28 with Length of Service)
• Pension in line with auto-enrolment
• Health Care plan - money towards your dental, optical and treatment therapies!
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff discount on all Wurth products

We are committed to fostering inclusion and diversity to support the future success of the Würth Group.

Please note: Interviews may take place while the role is advertised. We reserve the right to close the role early if sufficient applications are received.