Category Strategy Manager - International Sales

Nelsons; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

25 days holiday

Rescue Day

Staff discount

3pm Friday finishes

Hybrid working

Volunteer days

Cycle to work

Job summary

Nelsons is seeking a Category Strategy Manager to develop category plans for global Export markets across Grocery, Health stores, Drugstores and Pharmacy accounts. You will partner with Export sales, Global category, and Product and Marketing teams to grow sales value, distribution and promotions.

The role requires strategic VMS category management, international experience, strong analytical skills, and a proactive, collaborative mindset.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in strategic VMS category management and strategy.
• Experience working across international or multi-market environments is desirable.
• Well organised with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver category plans to drive growth and improve distribution across Export markets.
• Determine optimal on-shelf range reflecting local needs and competitive dynamics.
• Lead channel strategies across Grocery, Health stores, Drugstores and Pharmacy.
• Drive NPD input to maximise category opportunities in Export regions.
• Interpret market insights to enable sustainable growth across international markets.

Skills

Category strategy

Export market experience

Analytical mindset

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About us

Nature, nurture and wisdom

We believe nature holds the key to our emotional and physical wellness, providing gentle yet effective remedies. At Nelsons, we harness these powerful ingredients and infuse them with centuries’ worth of expertise to offer traditional treatments for a modern world.

We’re an award winning, family-owned business, whose passion for providing natural healthcare choices since 1860 continues to drive us today. Nelsons is one of the UK’s leading and Europe’s longest established manufacturer of natural healthcare products, having built up an impressive portfolio including world-famous RESCUE® Remedy and Teetha®
What’s next? Growth, and lots of it! We’re experiencing a significant and exciting period of digital transformation and we’re looking for talented, ambitious individuals to help drive meaningful impact across the business.

The Role

This role is responsible for developing category strategies for key channels across our global Export markets, including Grocery, Health food stores, Drugstores and Pharmacy accounts. The Category Strategy Manager is a key stakeholder in the Export channel and retailer strategy and will work closely with the Export sales team, Global category, and the Product and Marketing Teams to develop market and account-specific sales strategies that will increase sales value, distribution, display and promotional opportunities with relevant retail and distributor partners across all Export regions.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver inspiring and credible category plans that unlock category growth and elevate Nelsons as a leading healthcare and wellness supplier within the wider VMS category, across global Export markets
• Determine the right range on shelf for each market and channel, ensuring the product mix reflects local shopper needs, competitive dynamics, and category opportunity
• Identify and drive efficiencies in packaging to deliver scale across Export markets, balancing global consistency with local regulatory and market requirements
• Develop and own channel strategy across Grocery, Health food stores, Drugstores and Pharmacy, tailoring the approach to the dynamics and opportunity within each channel
• Lead category input and planning for NPD launches, ensuring new products are positioned to maximise category opportunity and size of prize in relevant Export markets
• Gather and interpret insight through market data, Shopper Insights, Euromonitor, IMS and other Category Management tools to create sustainable growth across international markets
• Develop credible and proactive relationships with distributors and retail customers across Export regions that enable the delivery of category plans and sales growth
• Lead category management reviews with distributors and customers as the trusted expert, delivering high-quality insight-based contribution to the development of market strategies and planning
• Deliver regular category and portfolio assessments across Export markets to ensure our commercial vision is aligned with local market demands in a constantly changing competitive environment

We’d love you to have

• Demonstrated experience in strategic VMS category management and strategy
• Experience working across international or multi-market environments is desirable
• Well organised and able to prioritise work effectively
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Maintains a highly methodical approach to working through complexity
• Ability to work accurately with attention to detail
• A clear communicator with the ability to summarise large volumes of data for varied audiences and markets
• A self-starter, naturally motivated with a will to succeed
• Performs well in a fast-paced environment
• Enjoys working with others in a team environment
• Previous experience of a Sales or Marketing role in Consumer Healthcare, ideally VMS, is desirable

What’s On Offer

• Annual bonus
• 25 days holiday per year PLUS Christmas shut down - whoop!
• A ‘Rescue Day’ each year to use how you need – A duvet day? A spa day? We’ve got you!
• Free products and staff discounts to keep you healthy and happy
• 3pm Friday finishes ALL YEAR ROUND (if you have done your work, obvs!)
• Hybrid and flexible working
• Paid days off to volunteer for some awesome charities
• Cycle to work scheme