Category Development Manager

Arla Foods; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Arla Foods is seeking a Category Development Manager for Cooking Cheese in Saudi Arabia. Based in Riyadh, you will lead local category strategy, translate shopper and customer insights into growth plans, and drive annual planning in partnership with Marketing, Sales, and Finance.

You will steer NPDs, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and influence stakeholders to accelerate category penetration and market share in a fast-growing market.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in FMCG, ideally in category development, marketing or commercial roles.
• Fluency in English and Arabic is essential.
• Strong analytical capabilities and ability to influence stakeholders at multiple levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead local category strategy development for cooking cheese across all key channels and customers.
• Translate shopper, consumer, and customer insights into actionable growth plans, focusing on penetration and market share growth.
• Drive the annual category planning process in partnership with Regional Marketing, Sales, and Finance.
• Lead innovation planning and in-market execution for NPDs.
• Partner with Customer Growth and NRM teams to build compelling commercial stories and toolkits for in-store performance.
• Manage the category P&L in collaboration with Finance with sound financial decision-making.
• Coach and influence internal stakeholders to embed best practices in category development.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Communication skills

Category development

Excel

PowerPoint

Nielsen knowledge

Education

Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Nielsen

Job description

Category Development Manager – Cooking Cheese

At Arla, we do so much more than make some of the world’s favorite dairy products. We make healthy taste delicious, mornings worth getting up for, and family dinners unforgettable. Puck®, Lurpak®, The Three Cows®, Starbucks®, and Castello® – names like these make us a vital, natural part of modern life in over 100 countries around the world. There are 1,200 employees in the Middle East and Africa and 19,000 global employees at the heart of our business. Every single one of us plays an important role and together we build on our €10bn turnover and establish our position as one of the largest dairy companies in the world.

We are looking for a strategic and insight-led commercial marketer to lead the development of the cooking cheese category in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. If you have a strong analytical mindset, a deep understanding of market dynamics, and a passion for driving growth through collaboration, this opportunity is for you.

We are looking for a dynamic, highly driven commercial marketer to spearhead the growth of the cooking cheese category in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. If you thrive on turning insights into action, and have a relentless passion for driving business growth, this is your opportunity to shape and accelerate our portfolio’s success.

Lead and Grow the Cooking Cheese Category in KSA

This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the growth of Arla’s cooking portfolio in Saudi Arabia. As Category Development Manager you will support the creation and execution of local category strategies, develop insight-based recommendations, and work closely with commercial teams to drive in-market performance. This position is based in Riyadh and reports to Category Lead for Cooking Portfolio.

As the Category Development Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Leading local category strategy development for the cooking cheese across all key channels and customers.
• Translating shopper, consumer, and customer insights into actionable growth plans, with a strong focus on penetration and market share acceleration
• Driving the annual category planning process in partnership with Regional Marketing, Sales, and Finance
• Leading innovation planning and in-market execution for NPDs
• Partnering with Customer Growth and NRM teams to build compelling commercial stories, initiatives and toolkits that drive in-store performance
• Managing the category P&L in collaboration with Finance, ensuring sound financial decision-making and scenario planning
• Coaching and influencing internal stakeholders across functions to champion the category and embed best practices .

Strategic, analytical, and commercially driven

You have a degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics or related field. You bring 5-7 years of experience in FMCG, ideally within Category Development, Marketing or Commercial roles, with proven leadership of category strategies and cross-functional collaboration. You are comfortable navigating both the strategic and operational sides of the business, with a solid grasp of category P&L dynamics. You have excellent analytical capabilities, strong communication skills, and a track record of influencing stakeholders at multiple levels. Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint is expected; knowledge of Nielsen, shopper panels, or retail audit tools is a plus. Fluency in English and Arabic are essential.