Category Manager

Quorum Search Partners; Monaghan; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Quorum Search Partners is partnering with a leading international food and dairy organisation to recruit experienced Category Managers for its growing commercial and innovation function.

These roles carry responsibility for the strategic direction, commercial performance and long-term development of key product categories across both consumer and food ingredient markets, working closely with Commercial, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Finance and Supply Chain.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in food, FMCG, dairy, or ingredients sectors.
• Strong commercial acumen with track record of category strategy.
• Strong analytical and market insight capabilities.
• Experience working cross-functionally and driving growth through innovation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement category strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Own category performance, profitability and KPIs.
• Identify market opportunities, customer needs and trends.
• Build growth plans, roadmaps and business cases.
• Support pricing, margins and revenue optimisation.
• Collaborate with R&D and Innovation to commercialise new products.
• Review and optimise portfolio performance.
• Gather customer, market and consumer insights to inform strategy.
• Influence senior stakeholders across functions to align priorities.

Skills

Category Management

Strategic Marketing

Brand Management

Innovation

Commercial Strategy

Market Insight

Education

Bachelor's or equivalent in Business / Marketing / Food Science

Job description

Category Manager – Food / Dairy / Ingredients

Location: Ireland or UK

Type: Permanent

Quorum Search Partners is partnering with a leading international food and dairy organisation to recruit experienced Category Managers for its growing commercial and innovation function.

These roles carry responsibility for the strategic direction, commercial performance and long-term development of key product categories across both consumer and food ingredient markets - working closely with Commercial, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Finance and Supply Chain to identify growth opportunities and deliver sustainable revenue and profit growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement category strategies aligned with wider business objectives
• Own category performance, profitability and key commercial KPIs
• Identify market opportunities, customer needs, competitor activity and emerging trends
• Build category growth plans, roadmaps and strategic business cases
• Support pricing, margin and revenue optimisation
• Partner with R&D and Innovation to develop and commercialise new products
• Review and optimise portfolio performance
• Build strong customer, market and consumer insight to inform strategy and customer presentations
• Work cross-functionally across Commercial, Sales, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Finance and Supply Chain, influencing senior stakeholders and aligning the business around category priorities

Innovation, category growth and turning market insight into commercial action are central to both roles.

About You

We are keen to hear from candidates with experience in: Category Management, Strategic Marketing, Brand Management, Innovation, Commercial or Market Strategy, Food Ingredients, FMCG

You should have:

• Proven experience within food, FMCG, dairy, food ingredients or a related sector
• Strong commercial acumen, with a track record developing and delivering category strategy
• Strong analytical and market insight capability
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and a history of driving growth through innovation
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence senior leaders

A third-level qualification in Business, Marketing, Food Science or a related discipline is preferred.

The Opportunity

A senior, commercially focused role within a substantial international food business investing in category development and higher-value growth - offering genuine ownership of a category, real influence over portfolio and innovation strategy, and exposure across commercial, technical and operational teams in a business with a broad international customer base.