Senior Category Manager

Carlsberg Group; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly product allowance

Private medical options

Life Assurance

Company bonus scheme

24/7 GP services

Enhanced pension contribution

High street discounts

Job summary

Carlsberg Britvic is recruiting for a Senior Category Manager to join our On Trade Strategy & Operations Team. Reporting into the Head of Category, this role will own the development of customer-category visions, manage cross functional initiatives and elevate our presence as a trusted advisor to our customers.

We are looking for extensive on-trade experience in beer and soft drinks, with a proven ability to translate market insights into growth strategies, build strong customer partnerships and

Qualifications

• Experience in leading FMCG category initiatives with direct customer accountability.
• Ability to translate shopper and market insights into actionable growth plans.
• Proven track record of cross-functional collaboration to deliver category strategies.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver the annual category strategy across key customers.
• Translate insights into growth strategies that unlock competitive advantage.
• Build trusted relationships with customers, positioning the company as a category partner.
• Lead storytelling and engagement to drive adoption of category plans.
• Manage category initiatives, trials and reviews to grow distribution and space.
• Provide a clear POV on industry topics and sustainability.
• Use loyalty data to shape insights and improve performance.
• Support team development through leadership and collaboration.
• Partner across Sales, Brand, Insights and Strategy to embed category thinking.
• Own performance across volume, value, share and customer metrics.

Skills

On-trade experience

FMCG category leadership

Data-led decision making

Stakeholder management

Job description

Senior Category Manager

Job Title: Senior Category Manager

Location: Field Based with regular, weekly travel to customers is expected and ad hoc visits to Hemel Hempstead

Job Length: Permanent – Full Time

Competitive Salary with extensive benefits:

• Monthly product allowance – alcoholic & non-alcoholic options available
• Private Medical options
• Life Assurance
• Company bonus scheme
• Access to 24/7 GP services
• Enhanced pension contribution
• Access to a range of high street discounts

Carlsberg Britvic is the largest multi-beverage supplier in the UK and is home to some of the most iconic and popular beers & soft drinks, including Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, 1664, Poretti and Brooklyn to ale favourites such as Hobgoblin and Wainwright. For soft drinks, Carlsberg Britvic’s brands include J2O, Robinsons, Tango and London Essence along with the licence rights to the Pepsi portfolio in the UK including Pepsi MAX, 7UP, Lipton Iced Tea and Rockstar Energy.

With a strong national footprint, the Carlsberg Britvic business includes 5 production facilities and 16 logistics depot’s servicing customers up and down the UK. As the Dynamic, Multi-Beverage Powerhouse, we are united by a single, consistent goal: ensuring our people thrive.

About the role:

We are now recruiting for a Senior Category Manager to join our On Trade Strategy & Operations Team. Reporting into the Head of Category, this role will own the development of customer-category visions, manage cross functional initiatives and elevate our presence as a trust advisor to our customers.

Role Responsibilities:

• Own and deliver the annual category strategy, aligning plans to commercial priorities and managing execution across key customers
• Translate shopper, consumer and market insights into clear growth strategies that unlock competitive advantage
• Build trusted, credible relationships with key customers, positioning Carlsberg Britvic as a trusted category partner
• Lead category storytelling and customer engagement (incl. tools, sell-ins and immersions) to influence adoption of category strategies
• Manage delivery of category initiatives, trials and range reviews to unlock distribution, range and space growth
• Provide a clear category POV on key industry topics (e.g. health & wellbeing, sustainability, HFSS, DRS)
• Use customer and loyalty data to shape insight-led recommendations and continuously improve performance outcomes
• Support team development through leadership and coaching, with an emphasis on collaboration, improvement, and quality outcomes
• Partner cross-functionally (Sales, Brand, Insights, Strategy) to embed category thinking into planning and execution
• Own performance delivery across volume, value, share and customer metrics, using learnings to continuously refine plans

Experience and Key Attributes:

• Extensive on-trade experience within beer and soft drinks
• Demonstrated background in FMCG category leadership with direct customer accountability
• Experience delivering market-outperforming customer and channel plans
• Skilled at simplifying complexity and translating strategy into clear, actionable plans
• Creates trusted partnerships through open communication and collaboration across all levels
• Works collaboratively to develop shared growth plans across cross-functional teams
• Commercially driven with a clear focus on KPIs, execution and delivery
• Skilled at operating in unclear environments while staying centered on solutions
• Experienced in leading teams and partnering with senior stakeholders (internally and externally)
• Data-led decision maker, experienced in using market insights and performance data

Our commitment to diversity equity & inclusion

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences - including those of different races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, religions, and socioeconomic statuses. We actively seek to create a safe and inclusive environment for all of our colleagues, where diverse perspectives are welcomed, and inclusive practices are embedded in everything we do.

We are happy to support accessibility needs, to ensure a fair and equitable experience for all candidates, so please do let us know if you require any adjustments during the recruitment process.

This is an exciting time to join our newly formed business – with their incredible individual history’s, innovation of products and some of the UK’s most iconic brands, Carlsberg Britvic strives to deliver the best service to our customers and consumers. We aim to make a difference, bringing together two diverse companies, our global reach enables opportunity, growth and a chance to work with some fantastic people.