Senior Commercial Strategy & Planning Manager

PZ Cussons; Pendlebury; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consumer goods company in Pendlebury is seeking a Senior Customer Strategy & Planning Manager to drive commercial performance through strategic pricing and promotional strategies. The role requires significant experience in consumer-focused environments and strong analytical skills to enhance free commercial delivery. This position fosters cross-functional collaboration and innovative thinking, making it ideal for individuals looking to make a significant impact within the FMCG industry.

Qualifications

• Proven significant experience in fast-paced, consumer-driven environments.
• Strong technical ability.
• Analytical skills to interpret complex data sets.
• Innovative thinking for continuous improvement.
• Ability to drive effective pricing and promotional strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop consumer-relevant pricing strategies.
• Manage promotional guidelines by brand and channel.
• Lead analysis of promotional effectiveness.
• Facilitate collaborative working across functions.
• Support sales team in creating channel-appropriate plans.

Skills

Commercial Acumen

Data Analysis

Strategic Thinking

Leadership

Tools

Excel

IRI

Kantar

Neilson

Job description

The Senior Customer Strategy & Planning (CS & P) Manager plays a pivotal role in driving commercial performance by shaping and executing channel‑specific strategies that align with brand objectives. Acting as the critical link between Sales and Marketing, this role is responsible for developing and delivering pack, price, and promotional strategies tailored to each customer and channel. Through close collaboration across teams, the Senior CS & P Manager ensures the effective execution of brand plans in the trade environment, optimises trade spend ROI, and supports National Accounts as a strategic "co‑pilot" to enable sustainable and profitable growth for PZ Cussons in a competitive FMCG landscape.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop consumer‑relevant pricing strategies across packs, brands, and channels to maximise market competitiveness and shopper value perception.
• Manage optimal price laddering and pack‑price architecture (PPA) across the current portfolio, and support brand teams with strategic pricing recommendations for innovation and long‑term growth.
• Lead the analysis of promotional effectiveness using data‑led insights and performance metrics to inform future promotional strategies and improve ROI.
• Create, own, and maintain promotional guidelines ("golden rules") by brand and channel to ensure promotional activities consistently deliver commercial targets.
• Facilitate collaborative working across Marketing, Commercial, and Category functions through regular reviews and timely updates to drive alignment and integrated planning.
• Guide and champion pricing and promotional strategy for new product development (NPD) to enable successful market entry and long‑term viability.
• Drive the commercial readiness of NPD launches by collating assumptions for gate sign‑off and delivering customer‑facing decks to support strong trade sell‑in and launch performance.
• Lead trade spend optimisation through insight‑led recommendations aligned with strategic priorities to maximise ROI, improve customer investment efficiency, and enhance brand visibility.
• Support the sales team in creating and delivering channel‑appropriate plans aligned to strategic categories (grow, protect, optimise) to unlock customer opportunities and drive commercial success. Builds strong relationships and leads effectively across functions, flexing communication and leadership style as needed. Confidently challenges with rationale, demonstrates resilience, and inspires collaboration.

Leadership & Mindset

• Inspirational & Authentic Leadership: Acts as a positive role model who energises teams, sets high expectations, and fosters a culture of accountability and high performance.
• Enterprise Mindset: Supports cross‑functional performance by focusing on shared business goals and promoting a "one team" approach to success.
• Creative Commercial Execution: Balances creativity and pragmatism to maximise brand performance within budget constraints, ensuring efficient and effective delivery in market.
• Forward‑Thinking & Curious: Thinks beyond the immediate task, proactively using data and insights to shape future opportunities and strategic thinking.

Qualifications

• Brings proven significant experience in fast‑paced, consumer‑driven environments with a clear understanding of category dynamics and customer needs.
• Strong technical ability.
• Experience in using category data sources such as IRI/Kantar/Neilson, and proficient in Excel.
• Strong Commercial Acumen: Demonstrates a solid understanding of commercial levers and market dynamics to drive brand and business performance.
• Data‑Led Decision Making: Highly analytical and inquisitive, with the ability to interpret complex data sets, identify trends and insights, and translate them into actionable strategies that improve ROI and sales performance.
• Innovative Thinking & Continuous Improvement: Challenges the status quo constructively by proposing well‑structured ideas and creative solutions that enhance commercial delivery and brand competitiveness.
• Strategic Storytelling: Able to turn insights into compelling, data‑driven narratives that influence decision‑making across the organisation.

Please note that we are not able to offer visa sponsorship or assist with relocation support for this role. Applicants must have the right to work in the country where this role is located before applying.

Equal Opportunities: At PZ Cussons, we value diversity and make sure everyone feels included. We want our team to reflect society and our global customers. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and your unique perspective helps us develop brands and create new products for our consumers. If you need extra support during this process, please inform us so that we can accommodate your needs appropriately. It is important to us that all candidates feel recognised and have a good experience with PZ Cussons as part of our commitment to inclusivity.

About PZ Cussons

At PZ Cussons, we make some of the UK's best‑loved brands – think Original Source, Carex, Imperial Leather, Sanctuary Spa, Childs Farm and more. We're a FTSE‑250 business with global reach and bold ambitions.

How to Join

If you want to join a business with a dynamic, fast‑paced working environment and a collaborative atmosphere whilst working flexibly but with the opportunity to collaborate in our stunning offices, then this could be the right role for you.