Category Lead : Grains & Bakeries - Cape Town HQ-ZAF

PepsiCo; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global food and beverage company in Cape Town is seeking a Category Lead to manage the Grains & Bakeries segment. The ideal candidate will drive category strategy and lead a team to enhance market share and shopper loyalty. Applicants should possess a commercial qualification and at least 3 years of experience in data analysis and category management. This role offers an opportunity to influence strategic growth and establish trusted partnerships within the market.

Qualifications

• Previous exposure to FMCG environment.
• At least 3 years’ experience in category management.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Category Managers for GRAIN & BAKERIES.
• Deliver tactics to drive conversion into the category.
• Analyse data sets to provide category insight.

Skills

Data analysis

Problem-solving skills

Interpersonal and influencing skills

Teamworking skills

Communication skills

Mathematical ability

Education

Tertiary Qualification in a Commercial, Business or Statistical field

Job description

Job title : Category Lead : Grains & Bakeries - Cape Town HQ-ZAF

Job Location : Western Cape, Cape Town

Deadline : December 10, 2025

Quick Recommended Links

• Jobs by Location
• Job by industries

Responsibilities

Core Commercial Goals

• To co-create and execute customer & shopper centric solutions for the entire PepsiCo GRAINS & BAKERIES portfolio across both MT & TT Channels, which will enable growth acceleration for PepsiCo, winning versus competition and be seen as a trusted advisor by as Advantage Monitor (TAG) priorities.
• To create and enable implementation of toolkits for key strategic priorities, namely Category Visions, PERFECT STORE shopper principles, Category Development Fund (CDF), data and digitization.
• Overall, the role will enable the elevation of standards from ‘foundational’ to ‘good’ and ultimately to ‘best-in-class’.

Accountabilities

• Lead a team of Category Managers for GRAIN & BAKERIES aligning strategy Category growth pillars to drive shopper loyalty & market share.
• Deliver tactics to drive conversion into the category, basket size, PO1.
• Drive category strategy that delivers against the business unit must win battles.
• Build trusted advisor for GRAINS & BAKERIES across MT & TT customers, demonstrating knowledge and strategic thinking and alignment that ensures Win-Win for both PEP and Retailer across key shopper decisions.
• Analyse multiple data sets to provide category insight on drivers of performance of both the overall GRAINS & BAKERIES category and top MT & TT customers, providing benchmarking, strategies and potential tactics to capitalise on mutually beneficial growth opportunities.
• Create customer centric category visions leveraging the DX operating model (Identify, Engage, Convert, Optimize) to gain alignment and support from stakeholders, both internally and externally to enable Category Captaincy and long‑term partnership.
• Lead Category Reviews end to end to achieve category growth for MT & TT customers, while ensuring PepsiCo wins versus competitor.
• Support customers on long term strategy reviews with end‑to‑end connected plans that incorporate shopper insights, category management and shopper marketing suite.
• Secure trusted advisor status by demonstrating PepsiCo's insight and thinking and drive long‑term win‑win solutions for PepsiCo and the customer through shopper and channel centric strategies and plans.

Qualifications

• Tertiary Qualification in a Commercial, Business or Statistical field coupled with previous exposure to FMCG environment (Understanding of the retailer landscape, and instore challenges) and at least 3 years’ experience across data analysis, strategy creation, category management.
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Problem‑solving skills
• Interpersonal and influencing skills
• Teamworking skills
• Written and verbal communication skills to take others with and act on asks
• A methodical and logical approach
• The ability to plan work and meet tight deadlines
• A good level of mathematical ability
• The ability to analyse, model and interpret data
• Advanced customer and internal sales data experience
• Experience in marketing and / or Category Management
• Advanced knowledge of the end to end GTM value chain from production to shelf – including optimization
• Results orientated
• Sales / Retail / Business Development jobs