Senior Category Manager

4695 Broadford; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday

Pension with employer contributions

Private healthcare

Gym onsite access

Co-op product discounts

Job summary

Co-op is seeking a Senior Category Manager in Manchester for a 12-month fixed-term contract. The role is hybrid, with office visits 2–3 times a week. You will lead category strategy, manage a small team, and own financial delivery for the categories, influencing the food business P&L.

You should bring strong leadership, experience in retail/FMCG, and a talent for turning customer insight into commercial actions. This is a strategic, influential role within the Customer Development team.

Qualifications

• Strong people leadership and management experience.
• Background in retail, FMCG, or customer-focused category roles (supplier or sales side welcome).
• Broad commercial skillset and experience managing complex partner relationships.
• Passion for understanding customer behaviour and translating insight into action.
• Experience in category management, buying, or account management roles.
• Ability to work in detail while keeping sight of the bigger picture.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and vision for a group of categories, ensuring alignment across the Customer Development team.
• Deliver category plans that are customer-focused, commercially sound, and operationally achievable.
• Own the financial delivery of your categories, contributing to the Food business P&L.
• Manage and develop a team of Category Managers and Assistants (around 5 to 6 colleagues).
• Work closely with key partners across Brand, Price & Promotions, Range & Format, and Operations teams.
• Ensure critical paths are followed and promotional/range events are delivered on time.

Skills

People leadership

Retail FMCG

Category management

Commercial mindset

Customer insight

Partner relationships

Job description

Senior Category Manager
Up to £75,000 plus company car and great benefits (Work Level 5)
Manchester city centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and coming into the office at least two to three times a week
12-month fixed-term contract

We’re looking for a Senior Category Manager to join Co-op and help shape the future of our customer offer. If you’re passionate about understanding customer needs, and ready to lead a team to deliver real impact, this could be the role for you.

Why this role matters

At Co-op, we’re on a mission to make things fairer, better, and more inclusive for our customers and communities. This role sits at the heart of that mission. You’ll lead the development of category strategies that are driven by customer insight, helping us build compelling propositions that meet evolving needs and deliver growth. Your work will directly influence our food business performance and help us stay ahead of the market.

This is a brilliant opportunity to take the next step in your career, working alongside Heads of Trading and Commercial in a role that offers real scope and influence.

What you’ll do

• Lead the strategy and vision for a group of categories, making sure there’s alignment across the wider Customer Development team
• Deliver category plans that are customer-focused, commercially sound, and operationally achievable
• Own the financial delivery of your categories, contributing to the overall Food business P&L (profit and loss)
• Manage and develop a team of Category Managers and Assistants (around 5 to 6 colleagues)
• Work closely with key partners across Co-op Brand, Price & Promotions, Range & Format, and our Operations teams
• Make sure that critical paths are followed, and that promotional/range events are delivered on time
• Champion collaboration across functions to bring people with you and drive change

What you’ll bring

• We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:
• Strong people leadership and management experience
• A background in retail, FMCG, or customer-focused category roles (supplier or sales side welcome)
• A broad commercial skillset and experience managing complex partner relationships
• A passion for understanding customer behaviour and translating insight into action
• Experience in category management, buying, or account management roles
• The ability to work in detail while keeping sight of the bigger picture

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Private healthcare
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion.