Category Manager – Ice Cream

Unilever; England; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the consumer goods sector is seeking a Category Manager to drive category growth and build relationships with customers. The role involves utilizing insights for actionable recommendations and managing a team. Flexible working options are available.

Benefits

Annual Bonus

Subsidised Gym Membership

Discounted Staff Shop

Shares

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of consumer goods industry.
• Excellent customer relationship management.
• Strong project management and planning competencies.

Responsibilities

• Own category management relationship with key customers.
• Turn insights into actionable category recommendations.
• Support and coach direct reports for team development.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Problem Solving

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title: Category Manager

Location: Kingston

JOB PURPOSE

The Magnum Ice Cream Company are the ice cream category leader, as such our responsibility is to deliver best-in-class category leadership across the UK market, driving insight led category growth and building trust with our customers.

The candidate for this role will be integral in building, developing, and maintaining credible, long term, category lead relationships, both internally & externally. In addition, they will be the voice of the customer, consumer and shopper in the organization delivering actionable insights that deliver category value creation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the category management relationship with key contacts in your customers, building credibility and trust through the delivery of proven category growth recommendations
• Turn insights into actions with best-in-class execution, analysis, and evaluation of category plans, including summer and winter including range reviews
• Utilize multiple data sources (Nielsen, Kantar, retailer loyalty data systems amongst others) to generate recommendations
• Use market leading consumer and shopper insights to create tailored category recommendations
• Use of space planning solutions to analyse and create merchandising recommendations to customers
• Support and coach direct report to ensure we are developing a best in class category management team
• Bring the voice of the customer, shopper & consumer to the business, ensuring we are best placed to meet their needs

ALL ABOUT YOU

• In-depth knowledge of the consumer goods industry including class of trade, customer groups, category, competitive products, competitive strategies, and industry trends
• Excellent customer relationship and stakeholder management
• Be able to work effectively in a team environment
• Strong communication skills
• Must be highly proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel
• Excellent analytical skills are needed not only to evaluate, but to provide useful, actionable insights that are clear, meaningful, and delivered in a timely manner
• Strong project management and planning competencies
• Line management experience
• Innovative, solution-oriented mindset with problem solving and strategic thinking skills
• Self-motivated

NOTES

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’

Location

In June 2020 we announced our plan to consolidate a number of Unilever’s offices across the South East of England into a new Unilever campus in Kingston-upon-Thames in or around early 2025. However, on the 08 August 2024 we announced to our existing staff our proposal to retain our central Head Office in London, 100 Victoria Embankment (“100VE”) until our lease expires in 2027. As a result of this new proposal, we will be consulting with our existing staff, and new joiners who join during this period of consultation at 100VE, on the proposal made in August 2024. During consultation we will clarify the future location of each team and function. This means your role will either be based in 100VE until 2027 or in Kingston-Upon-Thames from early 2025. As we are yet to commence consultation on the proposal you agree, until such a time when consultation has concluded, your normal place of work as set out in the enclosed Statement of Terms & Conditions will be 100VE. You agree that on the conclusion of the consultation your place of work will be 100VE or 100VE until early 2025 and then Kingston-upon-Thames ('the locations') and you will be notified of which of the locations will be your place of work after that consultation ends.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unileveropens in a new window.

Recruitment Fraud

Cyber criminals advertise fake job adverts with prestigious employers as a way of stealing information or even defrauding individuals out of money.In the most sophisticated cases, they will set up fake websites, which have a similar address to companies like Unilever. They even conduct fake telephone interviews and then offer candidates a role with the proviso they pay a fee for background checks or to cover work visa costs. These types of attacks are becoming more common as more people are looking for employment in the economic climate.

How is Unilever tackling this?

Many of Unilever’s recruitment sites publish a warning to candidates about recruitment fraud. The Cyber Security team also proactively scan for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and act to close them down.

What can I do?

If you become aware of potential recruitment fraud, spot fake Unilever recruitment adverts or fake LinkedIn profiles, report them via Una Live Chat.

Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!