Category Management Coach

BOOTS; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

BOOTS is seeking a CRP Coach to join their Insights team on a 10-month fixed term contract. This pivotal role involves leading virtual teams to apply category management best practices and deliver customer-centric retail plans, supported by strong coaching, analytical skills, and a commercial background. A robust range of benefits accompanies this position, highlighting the company's commitment to a supportive and inclusive working environment.

Benefits

Boots Retirement Savings Plan

Discretionary annual bonus

Generous employee discounts

Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay

Flexible benefits scheme

Access to free counseling and support

Qualifications

• Proven track record in a commercially focused role ideally retail or FMCG.
• Ability to inspire, coach, and engage others.

Responsibilities

• Organise and lead cross-functional projects.
• Develop profitable customer led recommendations.
• Ensure quality of customer and financial inputs.

Skills

Coaching in a commercial environment

Relationship management

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Degree level or equivalent qualification from a numerate discipline

Job description

Contract: 10 month Fixed Term Contract, Full-time

Closing date: 14th July 2025

Recruitment Partner: Katrina, [e-mail]

About the role

At Boots, we get our customers better than anyone. Customer based, insight led decision making is central to achieving this and the Category Re-Profiling (CRP) team, part of the Insights function, plays a pivotal role by supporting our Boots UK retail businesses with sustainable competitive advantage by providing unparalleled commercial expertise and customer insight.

The Category Re-Profiling (CRP) Coach role sits within the Insights function.

The CRP team play a pivotal role in supporting our UK business translate customer-based insights into an optimised customer offer and the coach role is key to this ambition. Using a range of skills - relationship building, commercial, analytical and project management, CRP coaches lead virtual teams across a range of functions from the U.K. business (trading, multichannel, brand, merchandising, supply, marketing, and other insight teams) to apply category management best practice to deliver customer centric retail lever plans.

We are looking for a high calibre candidate who can lead the thinking and inspire others, to deliver tactical plans that step change performance and deliver for the customer.

Key responsibilities

• Organise and lead cross functional projects involving the curation of and preparation of insights and tactical retail lever recommendations, leading engaging workshops, coaching, and empowering your virtual teams to make decisions on topics ranging from price, promotions, multi-channel and format ranges, distribution, merchandising and supplier negotiations, whilst facilitating engagement with other impacted functions and programmes.
• Leads the thinking through coaching and stretching the ambition of trading teams to develop profitable customer led recommendations in order to maximise value for the business.
• Ensures rigour and quality of customer and financial inputs into the projects they lead to ensure that opportunities and trade-offs are identified and understood, whilst ensuring the customer offer is not compromised and remains customer led.
• Supporting and helping to shape our approach to category management best practice.
• 'Bring the outside in' by sharing best practice and knowledge of the external market and competitor landscape with the teams that you work with.

What you'll need to have

• The ability to coach in a commercial environment to empower, motivate and inspire the delivery of world class category management objectives and the related supplier negotiation plans through others, because you understand the category, customers, market and suppliers and the challenges that the customer is facing into
• A proven track record in a commercially focused role ideally retail or FMCG
• The ability to inspire, coach and engage others. You will also be a first-class relationship manager and project manager with great, all-round communication and influencing skills, which when combined with your strong analytical and numerate skills you can create a narrative from analysis and insights, with a high degree of customer focus

It would be great if you also have

• Degree level or equivalent qualification - from a numerate discipline

Our benefits

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Generous employee discounts
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay and gift card for anyone expecting or adopting a child
• Flexible benefits scheme including option to buy additional holiday, discounted gym membership, life assurance, activity passes and much more.
• Access to free, 24/7 counselling and support through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Programme.

We have a great range of benefits in addition to the above that offer flexibility to suit you - find out more at boots.jobs/rewards. Exclusions may apply, eligible roles only. Please note, any salary estimates given on third-party sites are not provided or endorsed by Boots and may not be accurate.

Why Boots

At Boots, we foster a working environment where consideration and inclusivity help everyone to be themselves and reach their full potential. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, passionate about embracing the diversity of our colleagues and providing a positive and inclusive working environment for all. As the heart of everything we do at Boots, with you, we change for the better.

What's next

Where a role is advertised as full-time, we are open to discussing part-time and job share options during the application process. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process, we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you to be at your best.

This role requires the successful candidate to complete a Pre-employment check after receiving an offer. Depending on your location you will be asked to submit either a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service), PVG (Protection of Vulnerable groups) or an Access NI Check.

Boots is a Ban the Box employer and will consider the suitability of applicants with criminal convictions on a case-by-case basis.