Category Manager - Off Trade (1 yr contract)

Bacardi; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay

Pension Plan

Healthcare

Employee Assistance Programme

Generous PTO

Leave policies

Job summary

Bacardi in London is seeking a Category Strategy & Insights professional to empower growth by delivering actionable market and shopper insights and advising Off Trade retailers on where Bacardi can drive value.

You will partner with Sales, Marketing and RGM to translate data into compelling stories, lead cross-functional projects, and implement category strategies that drive execution across shelves and promotions.

Qualifications

• Relevant FMCG experience with a solid understanding of business cycles and customer relationships.
• Strong analytical skills, capable of mining and interpreting data including loyalty data.
• Proven ability to translate data into actionable insights and commercial strategies.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders internally and with customers.
• A flair for presenting and storytelling; motivated to succeed with ownership of the role.

Responsibilities

• Be the expert voice on market, category, and shopper trends across Spirits, Vermouth, and RTDs.
• Develop category strategies aligned with business objectives and customer needs to grow the category.
• Analyse syndicated data and shopper insights to identify growth opportunities and inform decisions.
• Lead range reviews, assortment planning, and planogram development to optimise shelf presence.

Skills

FMCG experience

Analytical skills

Data storytelling

Stakeholder influence

Cross-functional

Tools

Nielsen data

IRI data

Kantar data

Job description

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

• Support the business on our quest to produce key actionable insights that power Bacardi’s growth.
• Earn a place as a trusted advisor to Off Trade retailers by partnering with them to understand their business objectives and help define where and how Bacardi can play a role in achieving them.
• Support on key research projects to understand our categories, our shoppers, and consumers more effectively.

ABOUT YOU

• You’ll have the ability to get stuck into the detail of the data while also stepping back to see the big picture and unlock future growth.
• Tenacious, driven, and confident with a creative flair whilst working collaboratively to get the job done
• Able to multi skill effectively and be at ease leading projects in this highly cross-functional role
• Passionate for our Brands, the Off Trade and the Consumer & shopper.

RESPONSIBILITIES - WITH OUR CONSUMER AT THE HEART YOUR KEY FOCUS WILL BE:

Category Strategy & Insights

• Be the expert voice on market, category, and shopper trends across Spirits, Vermouth, and RTDs.
• Develop and implement category strategies aligned with business objectives and customer needs to grow the category
• Analyse syndicated data (Nielsen, IRI, Kantar, loyalty card data) and shopper insights to identify growth opportunities and inform decision-making
• Forecast trends and proactively identify risks and opportunities within the portfolio by customer

Customer & Commercial Collaboration

• Build strong, unbiased relationships with key customers, delivering joint business plans and category growth initiatives
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and RGM teams to develop compelling sell stories and execution plans
• Support customer engagement with category vision and strategy, influencing decision-makers and driving joint value creation

Execution Excellence

• Lead range reviews, assortment planning, and planogram development to optimize shelf presence and ease of shop
• Deliver merchandising and promotional strategies that enhance category performance and shopper satisfaction
• Create and maintain category toolkits, scorecards, and reporting dashboards for internal and external stakeholders

Brand & Portfolio Developmen t

• Collaborate with Marketing teams on NPD and brand projects, ensuring alignment with category strategy
• Provide guidance on distribution, pricing, and promotional mechanics for new and existing products

SKILLS - THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE NEEDED TO CREATE YOUR LEGACY

• Relevant FMCG experience with a good understand of the business cycle and customer relationships (Category, Insights, Commercial, Marketing)
• Strong analytical skills, comfortable mining and interpreting data – experience with Nielsen and loyalty card data is a plus
• Proven ability to translate data into actionable insights and commercial strategies.
• Experienced in influencing senior stakeholders internally and in customers.
• A flair for presenting and story tellingHighly motivated to succeed, desire for independence and ownership of the role and customer relationships

PERSONAL QUALITIES – SHARE OUR FOUNDER’S PASSION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL FLAIR

• Self-Awareness - Reflective, emotionally intelligent, and aware of impact on others
• People Agility - Skilled at navigating complex relationships and driving collective performance
• Mental Agility - Strategic thinker with execution focus and creative problem-solving
• Change Agility - Curious, resilient, and growth-oriented with a test-and-learn mindset

LEADERSHIP AGILITY

At Bacardi we care deeply about finding brilliant talent who can bring the following personal attributes to help elevate our 3Fs: Fearless, Family, Founder culture to the next level.

• Belonging: You have a strong capacity to create a culture of ‘Belonging’, where people feel appreciated for who they are, what they do, and who they can become

• Self-Awareness: You have high levels of self-awareness, are reflective and know yourself well, understanding both your own strengths and weaknesses and your impact on others

• People Agility: You bring a deep ability to understand and relate to people and navigate through tough situations to harness and multiply collective performance

• Results Agility : You demonstrate consistent delivery of results in first-time situations by inspiring teams, exhibiting a presence that builds confidence in yourself and others.

• Mental Agility : You can think critically to penetrate complex problems and expand the possibilities by making fresh connections. You think strategically whilst being execution focused and bring creativity to the challenges you’re presented with

• Change Agility: You have a deep natural curiosity, desire to experiment and ability to effectively deal with the heat of change. You have a growth and learning mindset: ready to test, stumble, learn and apply from experience

Disclaimer: Bacardi seeks talent from all backgrounds to bring diversity of thought, agility and capability to our organization across the globe. We promote a working environment where all employees are treated and rewarded fairly. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination that adversely affects individuals or groups on the basis of national origin, race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, and any other legally protected aspect of a person’s identity.

U.S. applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws.

Perks of Working for us

At Bacardi,we arecommitted toprovidingourPrimos (employees) with a comprehensive Total Rewards package ofcompensation, benefits, incentives, allowances, well-being, and much more to meet the needs of themselves and their families. It goes beyond just Cash! The total rewards program is based on pay for performance, whereby the incentive programs are linked to company and individual performance.

Compensation, Paid Time Off & Retirement:

• Competitive Pay Package

• Competitive Holiday/Paid Time Off, plus additional days offered ( i.e., volunteer day, allowing you to give back to the community)

• Retirement/Pension Plan

Health & Wellbeing

• Medical, Critical Illness, and Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programs

• Best-in-class, family-friendly, and inclusive leave policies

Additional Benefits

The benefits /perks may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Bacardi, your work location, and are subject to change.

Some benefits may be subject to an employee contribution.

Some benefits may be fully or partially subsidized. Incentive plans are linked to the nature of your employment and can vary based on region, market, function or brand.