Head of Category, Marketing, Foods, Malaysia

Unilever Brazil; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A multinational consumer goods company is seeking a Head of Category for Marketing in Foods, based in Kuala Lumpur. This leadership role involves crafting a comprehensive marketing strategy for iconic brands like Knorr and Lady’s Choice, focusing on driving growth through consumer insights and innovation. Candidates should have over 8 years in brand management in an FMCG context, with leadership experience. The position emphasizes the development of a high-performing team and requires a proven track record in digital marketing and strategic brand planning.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in brand management/marketing, which includes category management experience in FMCG.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing effective and integrated brand plans.
• Experience in Foods Category is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Create a clear and ambitious growth vision and strategy for the portfolio of brands.
• Lead the Marketing Plan including the full 6 P’s.
• Oversee brand portfolio P&L ensuring investment in key growth drivers.
• Build and drive Digital Marketing for best-in-class performance.
• Inspire and develop a high-performing team of Brand Managers.

Skills

Brand management

Marketing strategy development

Digital marketing

Consumer insight

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline

Job description

Company: Unilever Malaysia Holdings, Business Function: Marketing, Job Title: Head of Category, Marketing – Foods (Unilever Malaysia), Work Location: Head Office, Unilever Malaysia, Bangsar South, Employment Type: Permanent Full Time

About Unilever Foods Malaysia (Consumer)

Unilever’s Foods business in Malaysia brings flavour, comfort, and nourishment to millions of Malaysian homes every day. Our portfolio features beloved brands like Knorr, Horlicks, and Lady’s Choice, each playing a meaningful role in local cooking and family moments. From rich broths and stir‑fry staples to warm malted beverages enjoyed across generations, these brands are embedded in Malaysia’s vibrant food culture. With a strong purpose to make food more nutritious, sustainable, and irresistibly flavourful, our Foods business continues to innovate—introducing new tastes, formats, and cooking solutions inspired by real Malaysian kitchens. Whether it’s enhancing everyday meals or fuelling families through trusted favourites, our brands spark joy, spark creativity, and inspire Malaysians to cook, share, and enjoy food together.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a Head of Category, Marketing, Foods, Malaysia who will unlock the next chapter of growth for our iconic Foods portfolio — including beloved brands such as Knorr, Lady’s Choice and Horlicks. This leader will shape the full end‑to‑end marketing agenda, steering the category with sharp consumer insight, flavour‑forward innovation, and purpose‑led brand building. In a landscape defined by rapidly evolving consumption habits, rising expectations for convenience, and intensifying competition, this role demands someone who can stay three steps ahead — driving unmissably superior brands, social‑first demand creation, and premiumisation opportunities tailored to Malaysian meal occasions. You will champion multi‑year, scalable innovations, elevate retail media and omnichannel excellence, and embed data‑driven decision‑making, performance marketing, and precision content across the ecosystem. As a people leader, you will inspire and develop a high‑performing team of Brand Managers and Assistant Brand Managers, building future‑fit marketing capabilities through agile ways of working, creativity with discipline, and a culture of continuous learning. Your leadership will ensure our Foods brands remain deeply loved, digitally distinctive, and commercially unstoppable — delighting consumers while driving penetration‑led, sustainable growth.

The Purpose of Role

This role exists to define and drive the growth strategy for Unilever Foods Malaysia — turning consumer insight, category trends and brand strengths into a sharp, forward‑looking plan. It plays a critical leadership role in elevating our Foods portfolio and aligning cross‑functional teams to deliver impactful innovation, purposeful brand building and consistent execution.

Team Structure

Reporting to: Director, Marketing and CSP, Malaysia
Direct reports: Brand Manager, Asst Brand Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Using breakthrough thinking and category, consumer, brand and customer understanding to create a clear and ambitious growth vision and strategy for the portfolio of brands under Food
• Develop the Marketing Plan including the full 6 P’s.
• Lead for a detailed understanding of brand performance in market and lead the portfolio through Integrated Business Planning, and development of the key brand strategy and JTBD, aligning cross functional stakeholders and within marketing to deliver the brand/portfolio ambition.
• Liaise with Category brand developers to ensure suitability of mix for category growth drivers and against global/local trends.
• Oversee the brand portfolio P&L ensuring investment in key growth drivers, and maximization of the brand mix to deliver Gross Margin and Profit Before Overheads targets (Ruthlessly prioritizing A&P choices).
• Adjust brand plans in the light of new category understanding, competitor activity or changes in mix.
• Determine and build the channel and range architecture.
• Understand broad consumer trends and specific consumer issues with the brand.
• Assimilate and interpret the Brand Health Check and other Quantitative data.
• Building Market Leading Marketing Plans and leading Brand Managers to deliver against the key growth plan, building long term brand equity
• Drive Digital Marketing to be recognized as the best‑in‑class digital marketers both locally and internationally.
• Build media plans with relevant media manager/agency and Implement integrated above and below the line brand plans.
• Drive ROI on media and all brand investment incl. Print, TV, Digital and Promos.
• Ensuring we put people first, and champion the consumer in all our brand planning and execution.
• Continue to drive social first agenda and develop team’s capability in driving this successfully.
• Building relationships with the Regional and Global brand development category teams.
• Jointly building brand strategies and vision to unlock country category growth drivers and category vision.
• Identify innovation ideas/opportunities and feedback.
• Ensure the NPD and core mix development reflect Malaysia consumer needs Delivering mixes which are market disruptive in the Malaysia and have leading market claims and deliver superiority.
• Liaise with Global/Regional Business Development Team to land mix for local market.
• Ensure excellent execution and deployment of assets against key market.
• Leading Talent and Building Teams to focus on external Orientation.
• Keeping a close eye on our key competitors and scenario planning the strategy to defend our brands and drive our growth these include Media/Promo/In‑store/Channel.
• Inspire and Develop Self and Others.
• Inspire people to deliver our mission and vision, demonstrate passion for the business.
• Own and lead respective projects, manage and grow the team.

Key Relationship

Internal

• Global and Regional Brand custodians in Fabric Cleaning
• Local and Global Cross‑functional teams - Customer Development, Customer and Channel Development Team, Supply Chain, Finance, Research & Development
• Local marketing expert team (Market Research, Digital, etc)

External

• Customers, Creative and Media agencies

Travel

No travel is required.

Essential Experience/Skill/Knowledge

• Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in brand management/marketing, which includes category management experience in FMCG environment, with 4 years of people management experience.
• Experience in Foods Category is preferred.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing effective and integrated brand plans.

What’s in you

You are knowledgeable in an end‑to‑end marketing management, able to understand the big picture but also comfortable with details and managing the operations. You are equipped with media‑savvy, particularly in digital marketing and know‑how. You are always obsessive in consumer intimity and completely immersed in the world of the consumer, intimately understanding consumers' current needs and curious about future needs. You embrace a high growth mindset with strong love for consumers, shoppers and customers. You are an optimistic and resilient team player – no shrinking violets. Confident to voice opinions leading with consumer insight, and debate and stress test the plans to ensure success. You are highly articulate and able to influence internal and external stakeholders (in person and in presentations). Ability to lead a complex, and large team driving a close "team grip" across the full cross‑functional network. You are well verse with marketing strategy development, by using those insights and competitor analysis to anticipate market growth opportunities and to determine the markets, channels and segments to operate in. You are excellent in planning and implementing an integrated programme of brand communication, which uses all available channels to communicate the brand’s messages to targeted consumers in the most cost‑effective way. You are excellent in bringing the brand to life in the marketplace via implementation of the core mix.

How to Apply

Please apply online and add your updated resume. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements and we will be in touch to provide you with an update on the status of your application if shortlisted.

About Unilever

Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose‑led business. Work with brands that are well‑loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas, and disrupt processes: use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best. Every day, many Malaysian households use our products to feel good, look good and get more out of life‑giving us a unique opportunity to build a brighter future.

Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you will be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you will channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we will work to help you become a better you.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.