Category Manager (Pastry)

Bidfood Malaysia Sdn. Bhd; Shah Alam; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bidfood Malaysia Sdn Bhd is expanding its pastry and bakery categories and seeking a driven Category Manager. You will own the pastry portfolio strategy, drive pricing, supplier partnerships, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver category growth across Malaysia.

Responsibilities include leading launches, forecasting, and demand planning while ensuring food safety and Halal compliance. Travel within Malaysia is expected; strong business acumen and stakeholder management are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Arts, Pastry, or related field.
• Minimum 5–8 years’ experience in category management, sales, purchasing, product development, or culinary application in pastry/bakery/foodservice.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing sales, margins, portfolios and supplier relationships.
• Knowledge of pastry and bakery products, food safety standards, and market trends.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; ERP SAP experience is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel within Malaysia.

Responsibilities

• Build annual category and brand growth plans aligned with commercial objectives.
• Define portfolio, channel, positioning, and route-to-market priorities; onboarding/rationalization for CCO approval.
• Track market trends, competitor activities, customer needs, and white-space opportunities.
• Work with Sales to identify category penetration opportunities and translate insights into growth actions.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships, including joint business plans and performance reviews.
• Lead portfolio direction and product sourcing while ensuring food safety, Halal, allergen-labelling, cold-chain, and company requirements.
• Lead base pricing, margin architecture, inventory targets, and activation planning; monitor sales, margin, stock turns, shelf life, wastage.
• Develop and table commercial, pricing, portfolio, and activation proposals to the CCO for approval.
• Equip Sales with the right products, USPs, pricing guardrails, product knowledge, and commercial tools.
• Lead product launch and activation plans, including tastings and demonstrations; Sales leads negotiations.
• Co-own forecasting and demand planning with Sales, Purchasing, Supply Chain and Warehouse teams.
• Support customer-specific opportunities and present category performance, risks, and actions to management.

Skills

Communication

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Microsoft Office

ERP SAP

Education

Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Arts, Pastry, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

SAP

Job description

We are a leading foodservice distributor committed to delivering high-quality food products, innovative solutions, and exceptional service across Malaysia. As part of our growth strategy, we are expanding our pastry and bakery categories to meet evolving foodservice market needs.

This role owns the category strategy and commercial proposition for the pastry portfolio, including frozen and ready-to-bake pastries, bakery products, desserts, and related ingredients. The role sets portfolio direction, strengthens principal relationships, and equips Sales with the products and commercial tools needed to grow the category.

Job Responsibilities:

Category Strategy & Portfolio

Build annual category and brand growth plans aligned with the Company’s commercial objectives.

Define portfolio, channel, positioning, and route-to-market priorities; recommend new brand or SKU onboarding and rationalization for CCO approval.

Track market trends, competitor activities, customer needs, and white-space opportunities.

Work closely with Sales to identify category penetration opportunities and translate market insights into growth actions.

Build and maintain strong supplier and principal relationships, including joint business plans and performance reviews.

Lead portfolio direction and product sourcing while ensuring food safety, Halal, allergen-labelling, cold-chain, and Company requirements are met.

Commercial & Performance Management

Lead base pricing, margin architecture, inventory targets, and activation planning; monitor sales, margin, stock turns, shelf life, and wastage.

Develop and table commercial, pricing, portfolio, and activation proposals to the CCO for approval.

Equip Sales with the right products, unique selling points (USPs), pricing guardrails, product knowledge, and commercial tools, working closely with Business Development and Marketing.

Lead product launch and activation plans, including presentations, tastings, and demonstrations, while Sales leads customer negotiation and conversion.

Demand Planning & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Co-own forecasting, demand planning, and slow-stock action plans with Sales, Purchasing, Supply Chain, and Warehouse teams.

Support customer-specific opportunities and account plans, and present category performance, risks, and recommended actions to management.

Job Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Arts, Pastry, or a related field.

Minimum 5–8 years’ experience in category management, sales, purchasing, product development, or culinary application within the pastry, bakery, dessert, or foodservice sector.

Strong commercial acumen with proven experience managing sales, margins, product portfolios, and supplier relationships.

Good knowledge of pastry and bakery products, applications, food safety standards, and market trends.

Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.

Proficient in Microsoft Office; experience with ERP systems (e.g. SAP) is an advantage.

Willingness to travel within Malaysia.

Wholesale Businesses 101-1,000 employees

Bidfood Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a leading specialty food importer and distributor, sourcing products worldwide. Based in Selangor, we service Peninsular and East Malaysia with our own offices and distributors.

Together with our brands, we provide quality products to hotels, restaurants, café chains, airlines, pastry shops, bakeries, juice bars, etc

We are an importer and distributor of specialty foods, concentrating mainly on the chocolates, frozen fruits and purees, breads and cakes premix, and gelato industries.

Bidfood Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a leading specialty food importer and distributor, sourcing products worldwide. Based in Selangor, we service Peninsular and East Malaysia with our own offices and distributors.

Together with our brands, we provide quality products to hotels, restaurants, café chains, airlines, pastry shops, bakeries, juice bars, etc

We are an importer and distributor of specialty foods, concentrating mainly on the chocolates, frozen fruits and purees, breads and cakes premix, and gelato industries.

Bidfood Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a leading specialty food importer and distributor, sourcing products worldwide. Based in Selangor, we service Peninsular and East Malaysia with our own offices and distributors.

Together with our brands, we provide quality products to hotels, restaurants, café chains, airlines, pastry shops, bakeries, juice bars, etc

We are an importer and distributor of specialty foods, concentrating mainly on the chocolates, frozen fruits and purees, breads and cakes premix, and gelato industries.