Category Manager

Lotus Bakeries; St Albans; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Lotus Bakeries is seeking a Category Development professional to enhance data insights driving brand growth. The role involves working with commercial teams and retailers, utilizing data to inform business strategies. Candidates should excel in data storytelling and relationship management, contributing in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in data analysis with storytelling ability.
• Strong communication and presentation skills essential.
• Ideally from FMCG Category Management or Insights background.

Responsibilities

• Provide insights based on category data to drive brand growth.
• Build relationships with retail contacts for effective collaboration.
• Analyze and present data to support commercial teams.

Skills

Data analysis

Communication skills

Relationship building

Presentation skills

Outcome-focused

Education

Experience in FMCG Category Management or Insights

Tools

Iri

Kantar

Dunnhumby Shop

Nectar 360 SIP

Job description

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Working as part of the Category Development team and working closely with the Head of Category, these would be some of your main responsibilities:

• As a business expert in the continuous Nielsen/Circana, Dunnhumby, and Nectar 360 category data used, you will provide ongoing understanding to the wider business of what is driving both our brands and the competition.
• Making recommendations to both the business and our key retail customers on range, fixture, price, and promotion to help unlock future sales growth.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key buyers and merchandising contacts to foster trust and facilitate the implementation of your recommendations.
• Providing analysis and insight for the commercial teams to present directly to retailers.
• Sharing monthly reporting to ensure internal understanding of the category and to enable strategic decisions based on data.

This role requires you to get involved in various tasks. You will also work closely with the relevant commercial manager for your customer accounts and collaborate cross-functionally with the brand and shopper marketing teams to help the wider business understand our offerings and our competitors in an innovative, fun, office environment.

Profile

Alongside living our TOP values of Team Spirit, Open Dialogue, and Passion, the most important qualities we’re looking for include:

• Experience in data analysis – not just crunching numbers, but telling the story behind them.
• Ability to coach the rest of the business to make the best use of data and insights, being self-sufficient in data analysis.
• Excellent communication skills, especially presentation and storytelling abilities.
• Ability to build and develop strong relationships as a trusted expert, both internally at BEAR snacks and externally with buyers and merchandising contacts at retail customers.
• Outcome-focused and results-driven.
• Ability to prioritize quickly in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Willingness to roll up sleeves and contribute actively – at BEAR, everyone helps each other, whether in data insights, process improvements, or setting up for future growth.
• Experience using data providers such as Iri, Kantar, Dunnhumby Shop, and/or Nectar 360 SIP.
• Ideally, a background in FMCG Category Management or Insights, either on the supplier or agency side.