Senior Category Manager Tesco - Fixed Term Contract

Danone; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus for performance

Job summary

Danone UK & Ireland is seeking a seasoned Senior Catman to lead growth initiatives for the Plant-based category across UK & IRE. You will manage relationships with senior customer teams, shape the commercial plan over multiple years, and ensure execution aligns with Danone's category vision.

This role emphasizes strategic thinking, data-driven decisions, and strong in-person customer engagement. The position requires proven senior-category experience, a track record with AGS or top retailers

Qualifications

• Proven and Experienced Senior Catman.
• Demonstrated AGS Performance - Top 5 & ideally Tesco.
• Proven strong stakeholder and cross functional management.
• High level of in person connectivity with customers and in the office.

Responsibilities

• Accountability for range review results, space and distribution across formats within Plant-based category.
• Drive category growth levers (space, distribution, promo plan, range, merchandising).
• Identify key customers to drive growth and provide category toolkits for Sales team.

Skills

Senior Catman

AGS Performance

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

In-person client relations

Job description

About The Job

Introduction & Job Detail:

At Danone, we’re driven by a powerful mission: to bring health through food to as many people as possible. As one of the world’s leading FMCG companies, our brands span Dairy & Plant-Based Products, Waters, Early Life Nutrition, and Medical Nutrition. We’re proud to be a purpose-led business, committed to healthier diets, sustainable practices, and inclusive growth.

Please note that this is a 12 month contract

Role overview

Responsible for building strong customer growth partnerships with senior buying teams that enable mutual benefit delivered for Danone and our customers and driving our category vision within key customers to support Danone’s outperformance. Responsible for the commercial plan for the Plant-based category over a multi-year horizon for the UK & IRE. Ensure the plan is right to drive competitiveness and win in market, through understanding of the external environment

Customer Management:

• Accountability for range review results, space, and distribution across formats within the Plant-based category. Building sustainable relationships with senior contacts within key customers.
• Driving the right category growth levers (e.g., space, distribution, optimal promo plan, range, category growth events, merchandising, etc.) that support the company and customer ambitions.
• Identifying key customers to drive growth for the category and building direct category relationships for them whilst providing toolkits for the Sales team to use category-based selling principles to grow both the Plant-based category and Danone's business within it,
• With customer teams and Shopper marketing develop and implement the right customer education plan through trade PR and media to educate on the category and the role Danone (Alpro) plays withing it

Category Vision:

• Taking the UK&I Plant-based category vision and converting it for developing strategies and actions to deliver against it
• Against Danone execution principles develop and drive Plant based in Tesco, working with complex data sources to track report and equip the business to make the right decisions and to convince our customers to support our plans

Strategic Agenda:

• Work with commercial planning to develop channel and customer specific strategies and actions to drive growth
• In partnership with the Senior Commercial Planner own the full-year calendar of commercial execution, optimizing and projecting performance vs. KPIs such as market share.

About You

About you

• A self starter who is passionate about finding growth opportunities
• Proven track record of strategic thinking across functions and value creation
• Thinks beyond own scope and take in the wider business needs when making decisions
• Balances between the operational day to day and the long-term strategic thinking
• Manages a broad network internally and externally to support delivery, adapting style accordingly
• Ability to influence others, building compelling narratives & recommendations from complex data

Must Haves

• Proven and Experienced Senior Catman
• Demonstrated AGS Performance - Top 5 & Ideally Tesco
• Proven strong stakeholder and cross functional management
• High level of in person connectivity with customers and in the office

Please note that the salary on offer for this position is between £70,000 - £85,000 + bonus & benefits

About Us

About Us:

At Danone UK & Ireland, we are committed to delivering better health through better nutrition for millions of consumers and patients in our communities.

We have a range of flexible benefits and excellent rewards, click here to find out more: https://careers.danone.com/uki/en/Why-Danone/our-learning---rewards.html

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is deeply embedded in Danone's DNA, representing our core values and beliefs. We embrace diversity as a driving force for positive change, nurturing an inclusive workplace where every individual is valued.

The closing date for applications is 15/10/26, you will therefore hear about your application after this date