Category Management & Shopper marketing team lead

Henkel; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consumer goods company in Hemel Hempstead is seeking an experienced Category Management & Shopper Team Lead. You'll drive category growth, lead a team, and implement shopper marketing strategies across the UK & Ireland. Ideal candidates have a background in category management and shopper marketing within the CPG/FMCG sectors. The position offers competitive benefits including a flexible work scheme and performance bonuses.

Benefits

Flexible work scheme

Diverse growth opportunities

Health and preventive care programs

Gender-neutral parental leave

Employee Share Plan

Performance bonus

Competitive Pension & Life Assurance

Annual Leave: 27 days plus 8 Bank Holidays

Celebration vouchers

Qualifications

• Proven track record in both category management and shopper marketing roles.
• Strong leadership experience and managing teams.
• Experience in CPG/FMCG sector with knowledge of the UK&I retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Category Managers and Shopper Marketing Managers.
• Champion best-in-class processes and tools.
• Monitor category performance and provide actionable recommendations.

Skills

Category management

Shopper marketing

Team leadership

Analytical skills

Influencing skills

Commercial acumen

Job description

About this Position

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Category Management & Shopper Team Lead to drive category growth and shopper engagement across the UK & Ireland market. Leading a team of two Category Managers and two Shopper Marketing Managers, this role is pivotal in shaping category strategies, delivering compelling shopper marketing plans, and building strong retailer partnerships.

The ideal candidate will bring proven expertise in both category management and shopper marketing, ideally gained in a leading CPG/FMCG company, with a strong understanding of the UK&I retail landscape.

What you´ll do

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Category Managers and Shopper Marketing Managers, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture.
• Ensure team alignment with commercial, sales, and marketing priorities.
• Champion best-in-class processes, tools, and ways of working.
• Lead the development of insight-driven category strategies for key retailers.
• Translate shopper, market, and retailer insights into actionable growth drivers.
• Partner with commercial teams to influence retailer range reviews, promotional plans, and shelf execution.
• Monitor category performance and provide actionable recommendations to maximize market share and ROI.
• Oversee the creation and execution of shopper activation plans aligned to brand and category strategies.
• Build strong joint business plans with retailers, delivering innovative, insight-led shopper campaigns.
• Ensure all shopper activity is measurable and delivers against key objectives (penetration, conversion, basket size).
• Manage budgets effectively, optimizing ROI across activations.
• Act as the key interface between sales, marketing and NRM to ensure aligned plans and execution.
• Partner with global and Western Europe regional teams to adapt best practices to the UK&I market.
• Represent category and shopper functions internally, influencing senior stakeholders with data-driven recommendations.

What makes you a good fit

• Pr oven track record in both category management and shopper marketing roles.
• Strong leadership experience, with a background in developing and managing teams.
• Experience in CPG/FMCG sector, with deep knowledge of the UK&I retail environment (DIY, grocery, discounters, convenience).
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Strong influencing skills with senior stakeholders and retailers.
• Commercial acumen with a track record of driving category growth.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery.

Some perks of joining Henkel

• Flexible work scheme with flexible hours, hybrid work model, and work from anywhere policy for up to 30 days per year
• Diverse national and international growth opportunities
• Global wellbeing standards with health and preventive care programs
• Gender-neutral parental leave for a minimum of 8 weeks
• Employee Share Plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares
• Performance bonus / incentives
• Competitive Pension & Life Assurance - Company contributes up to 10% of basic salary
• Annual Leave: 27 days plus 8 Bank Holidays
• Celebration vouchers

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Become part of the team and bring your uniqueness to us! We welcome all applications across different genders, origins, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, and generations.