Category & Channel Development Manager

PA Recruitment (KL) Sdn Bhd; Shah Alam; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

PA Recruitment (KL) Sdn Bhd is seeking a Category & Channel Development Manager to drive category growth across General Trade, Modern Trade, Convenience and other channels in Malaysia. You will transform shopper insights into actionable plans and ensure in-store execution aligned with business objectives.

The ideal candidate has 5–8 years of FMCG experience in Category Management or Trade Marketing, strong analytical skills, and the ability to lead cross-functional projects with Sales,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Economics, Commerce or related field.
• 5–8 years of FMCG experience in Category Management, Trade Marketing, or related areas.
• Proven ability to develop growth strategies and execute commercial plans.
• Strong analytical and business planning skills.
• Experience managing cross-functional projects and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of modern and general trade environments.
• Excellent presentation and communication and influencing skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category growth strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Analyze market trends, shopper insights, and competitor activities.
• Lead category performance reviews and recommend profitability initiatives.
• Develop annual category plans and support long-term planning.
• Design channel strategies for General Trade, Modern Trade, Convenience, Wholesale.
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations for Sales and Marketing.
• Monitor KPIs for category and channel performance.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing on promotions and activations.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and new routes-to-market.

Skills

Category management

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Sales & marketing alignment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Business/Economics/Commerce

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

The Category & Channel Development Manager is responsible for driving category growth, channel development, and shopper-centric commercial strategies that deliver sustainable sales growth, market share expansion, and profitability. This role transforms consumer, shopper, category, channel, and customer insights into actionable commercial plans and effective in-store execution. The incumbent acts as the key bridge between Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and other cross-functional teams to ensure commercial excellence and successful execution across all channels.

Key responsibilities

Develop and execute category growth strategies aligned with the company's business objectives.

Analyze market trends, consumer behaviour, shopper insights, and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.

Lead category performance reviews and recommend initiatives to improve sales and profitability.

Develop annual category plans and support long-term commercial planning.

Design channel-specific strategies for General Trade, Modern Trade, Convenience, Wholesale and other emerging channels.

Develop channel commercialization plans that maximize category penetration and customer value.

Identify whitespace opportunities and recommend new routes-to-market.

Translate shopper, retailer and consumer insights into actionable business recommendations.

Collaborate with Sales and Marketing teams to develop effective promotional and activation strategies.

Monitor category and channel performance using relevant KPIs.

About you

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Economics, Commerce or a related discipline.

5–8 years of experience in FMCG within Category Management, Trade Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Commercial Planning or Sales.

Proven experience in developing category growth strategies and commercial execution.

Strong analytical and business planning skills.

Experience managing cross-functional projects and stakeholders.

Strong understanding of modern trade and general trade environments.

Excellent presentation, communication and influencing skills.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Strong commercial acumen with the ability to translate data into actionable business recommendations.