Senior Category Manager - Wholesale

Co-op; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading grocery retailer in the UK is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead a new Trading team. You will own the category strategy and drive performance through strong supplier relationships. The ideal candidate will have experience in commercial strategies, exceptional leadership qualities, and the ability to analyze market trends. This role offers a competitive salary, a hybrid working model, and numerous benefits including a company car and private healthcare.

Benefits

A company car

Private healthcare

Annual bonus

28 days holiday

Pension contributions

30% discount on Co-op products

Early access to pay

24/7 colleague support

Training and support

Cycle-to-work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience developing and owning commercial strategies across product categories, including pricing and promotional planning.
• Strong track record of delivering effective trading strategies.
• Ability to analyze data, trends, and insights to optimize performance.

Responsibilities

• Own category strategy and drive performance across channels.
• Lead, support, and develop team members.
• Monitor category performance to achieve targets.
• Use data to identify trends and opportunities.
• Collaborate across supply chain, finance, and operations.
• Build strong supplier relationships.

Skills

Sales

Negotiation

Supplier management

Relationship-building

Data analysis

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Job description

Senior Category Manager

Up to £80,000 plus great benefits including car (Work Level 5)

Location: Manchester/Scunthorpe (hybrid working – typically two to three days per week spent across our Manchester and Scunthorpe offices, with at least one day each week based in Scunthorpe)

Co-op Wholesale is growing, and we’re looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. As a Senior Category Manager in our brand-new Trading team, you’ll lead a talented team of category managers and analysts. Together, you’ll shape pricing, range, and promotional strategies that deliver real value for our partners. You’ll own your category’s performance across multiple channels, working closely with our Co-op buying group and your category’s supplier base to develop a market-leading range of products.

Why this role matters

We’re building something big at Co-op Wholesale. With a refreshed structure and exciting plans ahead, we’re creating new opportunities to strengthen our proposition for our independent retailers, key accounts, and a growing corporate client base.

This is your chance to bring new ideas to life and make a real impact. Be part of it.

What you’ll do

• Own your category strategy and drive performance across channels
• Lead, support, and develop your team – helping them to grow and thrive
• Monitor category performance and make sure we’re hitting our targets
• Use data and market insights to identify trends, risks, and opportunities
• Collaborate with colleagues across our supply chain, finance, and operations teams
• Build strong supplier relationships to deliver value for them and Co-op

What you’ll bring

• Experience developing and owning commercial strategies across product categories, including pricing, promotional planning, and range architecture
• A strong track record of shaping and delivering effective trading strategies
• Great sales, negotiation, supplier management, and relationship-building skills
• The ability to analyse data, trends, and insights to spot opportunities to improve trading performance
• Good leadership skills, with the ability to inspire teams to deliver commercial plans
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• The drive to make a difference and grow your category

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:

• A company car
• Private healthcare
• 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
• 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 teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone, and our support centre is an inclusive environment where all our colleagues can thrive.

If you have a disability, we’ll make reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process. We’re also proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme - if you’re disabled and you meet the minimum criteria for this job, we’ll guarantee you an interview.

Learn more about our recruitment process at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process

Explore our commitments to diversity, inclusion and wellbeing at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-wellbeing

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.