The Category Strategy Manager is responsible for driving the growth, profitability, and long-term strategy of assigned product categories within the business. The rolefocuses on analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, sales performance, andcompetitive activity to identify opportunities that strengthen category performance and support overall commercial objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Category Strategy & Growth
- Develop and execute category growth strategies aligned with business objectives
- Lead annual business planning and long-term category roadmap development
- Analyze category performance, market trends, shopper insights, and competitoractivities to identify growth opportunities
- Recommend strategic initiatives to improve sales, profitability, market share, andcategory health
- Support pricing, portfolio, and pack architecture strategies in collaboration withcommercial teams
- Monitor category KPIs and recommend action plans based on performance insights
Product Innovation & Launch Management
- Lead the planning and execution of new product launches and category expansioninitiatives
- Build business cases and commercial recommendations for innovation projects
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure product launch readiness across supply,marketing, sales, and operations
- Develop launch plans, sales materials, and commercialization strategies for newproducts
- Monitor post-launch performance and recommend optimization initiatives
Commercial & Financial Managemen t
- Manage category financial performance, including revenue, profitability, andinvestment optimization
- Support forecasting and demand planning activities using sales and market data
- Identify key commercial levers to drive category performance across channels andregions
- Ensure effective use of resources and trade investments to maximize businessimpact
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, and otherstakeholders to align category priorities and execution plans
- Facilitate regular business reviews and planning discussions to support strategicdecision-making
- Align local category initiatives with broader commercial and organizational priorities
- Influence stakeholders and leadership teams to gain support for category strategiesand initiatives
Market & Performance Analysis
- Conduct regular reviews of sales trends, regional performance, channel dynamics,and consumer behavior
- Track product and category performance to identify risks and opportunities
- Provide actionable insights and recommendations through data-driven analysis andpresentations
- Support continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen category competitivenessand execution
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, Management, Economics, or related field
- At least 10+ years of experience in FMCG, preferably in Category Management,Trade Marketing, Commercial Strategy, or Customer Development
- Strong background in category analysis, product launches, and commercialplanning
- Experience handling cross-functional projects and stakeholder management
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
- Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills