Category Executive

Dis-Chem; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Provident fund

Staff account

Job summary

Dis-Chem Pharmacies invites applications for a Category Executive at its Head Office in Midrand. You will own the category strategy, drive commercial direction and align priorities across the category ecosystem.

Key responsibilities include defining end-to-end category strategy, SKU rationalisation, pricing and promotions, and leading cross-functional teams. Strong leadership and proven P&L ownership are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, commerce, economics or similar field OR 10–12 years of experience in category management, merchandising, or commercial management.
• Proven track record in strategy development and P&L ownership.
• Experience managing cross-functional category teams.
• Leadership experience, including managing cross-functional category teams.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end category strategy including growth ambitions, customer value proposition, financial targets and competitive positioning.
• Set category assortment architecture, SKU rationalisation principles and portfolio balance.
• Develop category pricing and promotion principles within Commercial.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams including category managers, buyers and planners.
• Communicate category strategies clearly and ensure shared understanding of priorities across execution teams.
• Provide strategic guidance to category teams to ensure execution accuracy and quality.

Skills

Category management

Merchandising

Cross-functional leadership

P&L ownership

Strategy development

Leadership experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, commerce, economics or similar field

Job description

Dis-Chem Pharmacies has an opportunity available for a Category Executive for their Head Office in Midrand. The Category Executive is the strategic owner of the category and provides commercial direction to the category ecosystem ensuring clear alignment to commercial priorities.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, commerce, economics or similar field OR
• Minimum 10-12 years of experience in category management, merchandising, or commercial management.
• Proven track record in strategy development and P&L ownership.
• Experience managing cross-functional category teams.
• Leadership experience, including managing cross-functional category teams.

Strategy and value delivery:

• Define the end-to-end category specific strategy, including growth ambitions, customer value proposition, financial targets and competitive positioning.
• Set category assortment architecture, SKU rationalisation principles and portfolio balance.
• Develop category pricing and promotion principles within Commercial
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams including category managers, buyers and planners.
• Communicate category strategies clearly and ensure shared understanding of priorities across execution teams.
• Provide strategic guidance to category teams to ensure execution accuracy and quality.

Governance & Risk:

• Ensure all category decisions comply with commercial guardrails for margin, profitability and pricing architecture.
• Ensure category strategies comply with data, policy and financial governance standards.
• Identify and elevate risks related to commercial performance Vulnerabilities.
• Strategic thinker able to integrate insights, customer behaviour and market trends
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Deep understanding of category management and retail operations

Special conditions of employment...

• South African citizen
• MIE, clear criminal and credit
• Driver’s license and/or own reliable transport

Remuneration and Benefits...

• Market related salary
• Medical aid
• Provident fund
• Staff account

Key performance indicators...

• Commercial performance – Category sales growth (%), gross margin (%) and market share growth (%)
• Portfolio performance – Assortment productivity (sales per SKU)
• Promotional and pricing effectiveness – Promotional ROI and pricing competitiveness