Category Planning Manager

Pets at Home; Cheadle; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Pets at Home is recruiting a Senior Category Planner to define and deliver data‑driven category strategies that boost growth and share. You’ll put the customer at the centre of commercial planning, translating insights into actionable range changes, pricing and promotions that drive in‑store and online performance.

Based in Handforth, Cheshire, with hybrid working 2–3 days a week, you will partner with Marketing, Buying, Supply Chain and VM to execute compelling activation plans and measure

Qualifications

• Previous Category Planning experience within an FMCG or retail environment.
• Confident communicator who can facilitate cross functional discussions and drive alignment.
• Comfortable managing and influencing multiple stakeholders and balancing short term trading needs with long term strategic goals.
• Highly organised and methodical planner with strong project management skills and attention to detail.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience of analysing performance and market data.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Development – Creating long term Commercial strategies and category roles aligned to business objectives.
• Data & Insight Analysis – To work with Trade Planning Manager, Ranging and Clustering team, VM, Buying and Supply teams to identify market trends and customer behaviour, spotting opportunities for growth and range gap analysis through thorough understanding of categories, competitors and the market.
• Represent the voice of the customer through attending and driving customer listening groups, challenging Commercial teams on range, price and promotion mechanics to ensure a customer centric category plan.
• Create a marketing activation plan by category aligned to business strategy and sync plan.
• Collaboration with Marketing, Buying, Supply Chain, VM, ranging and clustering and space teams

Skills

Category planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication

Project management

Commercial acumen

Job description

Location: We welcome applications from those looking for hybrid working, based 2 to 3 days per week in our Handforth (Cheshire) Office

About the Role

As a key driver of category performance, you will be responsible for defining and delivering strategic, data‑driven plans that accelerate category growth and increase market share. You will bring the customer to the centre of all commercial planning, ensuring customer insight shapes decision‑making and drives meaningful outcomes.

Acting as a vital bridge between Commercial and Marketing, you will collaborate closely across teams to develop and execute compelling retail activation plans. This includes leading activity across range changes, point‑of‑sale execution and integrated marketing, translating strategy into impactful in‑store and shopper‑focused activation.

Key Responsibilities – What you’ll be doing

• Strategy Development – Creating long term Commercial strategies and category roles aligned to business objectives
• Data & Insight Analysis – To work with Trade Planning Manager, Ranging and Clustering team, VM, Buying and Supply teams to identify market trends and customer behaviour, spotting opportunities for growth and range gap analysis through thorough understanding of categories, competitors and the market
• Represent the voice of the customer through attending and driving customer listening groups, challenging Commercial teams on range, price and promotion mechanics to ensure a customer centric category plan
• Create a marketing activation plan by category aligned to business strategy and sync plan
• Collaboration with Marketing, Buying, Supply Chain, VM, ranging and clustering and space teams

Key Measurables

• Category strategy established with category roles identified aligned to Commercial objectives and Head of Category intent
• Collaborating with Marketing to create activation plan by category
• Growth in customer numbers by category
• Growth in customer satisfaction scores
• Sales/ profit growth in high focus categories

About You – What you’ll bring to the role

• Previous Category Planning experience within an FMCG or retail environment
• Confident communicator who can facilitate cross functional discussions and drive alignment
• Comfortable managing and influencing multiple stakeholders and balancing short term trading needs with long term strategic goals
• Highly organised and methodical planner with strong project management skills and attention to detail
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience of analysing performance and market data

We take our inspiration from pets in embracing people from all walks of life, and we value, respect and celebrate difference. We encourage our people to be their best selves so that we can create a better world for Pets, our Planet, and People. Our ambition is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and we are intentional in addressing and removing barriers to create opportunities for the exceptional talent and potential in our communities. Even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you.