Category Manager

Zero Surplus; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is looking for an ambitious Brand/Category Manager to take full ownership of a brand and unlock its potential in the UK market. This role is pivotal in shaping brand performance and involves strategic leadership, P&L accountability, and building strong partnerships with brand stakeholders. Candidates should have a commercial mindset and proven experience managing brand performance. This position allows for significant impact on business growth while working in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience managing brand or category performance.
• Confidence in leading cross-functional teams.
• Ability to turn data into actionable strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead brand/category ownership and strategy.
• Drive brand profitability and manage P&L.
• Build relationships with brand partners.
• Conduct market analysis and competitor benchmarking.
• Define distribution strategy for brand growth.

Skills

Commercial mindset

Analytical skills

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Collaboration

Passion for brand building

Job description

Brand/Category Manager Are you ready to take full ownership of a brand or category and unlock its full potential? We're looking for an ambitious, commercially astute Brand/Category Manager to lead a thriving portfolio and play a pivotal role in shaping its future.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic thinker who's as comfortable crafting long-term vision as they are rolling up their sleeves and executing with precision. You'll be the driving force behind brand performance, trusted by senior stakeholders, and recognised as the go-to expert for your brands across the entire organisation.

What You'll Lead & Deliver

Brand Ownership & Strategy

• Take full leadership of an assigned brand/category - owning its performance, direction, and long-term success.
• Translate global brand strategy into UK-relevant plans, or build entirely new brand strategies when required.
• Lead the successful integration of new brands into the business, ensuring seamless onboarding and rapid commercial traction.

Commercial Impact & P&L Accountability

• Drive brand profitability, identifying opportunities to grow revenue, margin, and market share.
• Manage full P&L responsibilities, producing clear, insight-driven monthly reporting.
• Lead commercial negotiations with brand partners, securing strong commercial terms and exceeding profit thresholds wherever possible.

Stakeholder Leadership & Partnership Building

• Build strong, trust-based relationships with brand partners, fostering shared success and long-term partnership.
• Serve as the internal expert and advocate for your brand/category, empowering colleagues with the information and insight they need to deliver.
• Work cross-functionally with sales, marketing, operations and leadership teams to ensure alignment, clarity and momentum.

Market Insight & Strategic Thinking

• Conduct market analysis, category reviews and competitor benchmarking to identify opportunities, threats and emerging trends.
• Use insights to shape pricing, promotions, positioning and investment decisions that optimise commercial returns.

Sales, Channel & Distribution Strategy

• Define and implement a winning distribution strategy that supports brand growth across all retail and ecommerce channels.
• Partner with sales teams to craft compelling brand and product presentations that maximise listing opportunities.
• Develop cohesive pricing and promotional frameworks for all channels, continually refining them to drive best-in-class results.

Marketing & NPD Excellence

• Work hand-in-hand with marketing teams to deliver campaigns and activations that support brand strategy and deliver measurable ROI.
• Lead the creation and delivery of successful NPD (New Product Development) launch strategies, ensuring every product lands with maximum impact and clarity.

What You'll Bring

• A commercial mindset with experience managing brand or category performance.
• Confidence in leading cross-functional teams and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn data and insight into actionable strategies.
• A strategic thinker who can also execute with precision and pace.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to build deep, productive partnerships internally and externally.
• A passion for brand building, market dynamics and product success.

Why This Role Matters

In this position, you won't just manage a brand - you'll shape its future. You'll see the direct impact of your ideas, strategies and negotiation skills on the growth of your category and the wider business. This is a role for someone who wants to be at the heart of commercial decision-making, who thrives on ownership, and who is driven by making brands succeed.

If the above sounds interesting and you can work 3 days from their office in St Ives, then please send through an updated version of your CV and we can set up an initial conversation. Ideally candidates will already be located in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, East Northants or North Hertfordshire.

Zero Surplus is East Anglia's premier recruitment agency, based just outside Cambridge our sales recruiters source staff for small and international B2B & B2C businesses across Cambridgeshire and the East of England.

For registration purposes please could you let us know where you are currently based or which locations you are considering as well as your required salary and notice period.

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