Category Manager (Foods)

SET Consulting; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 400 000 - 1 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading FMCG company in Cape Town seeks a highly seasoned Category Manager (Foods) to drive revenue growth and diversify its product portfolio. This role involves formulating sales strategies, managing key accounts, and ensuring compliance with industry standards. The ideal candidate has 8-10 years of experience in sales, with a focus on the FMCG sector, and expertise in strategic negotiation and team leadership.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years progressive experience in sales, with at least 5 years in a senior management role in the FMCG sector.
• Proven track record of delivering sustained sales growth.

Responsibilities

• Formulate and enhance a national sales strategy to achieve annual revenue objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key national accounts.
• Oversee sales forecasting, budgeting, and pipeline management.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and competitor activities.
• Ensure adherence to legal and ethical standards.

Skills

Sales Strategy Development

Key Account Management

Market Intelligence

Compliance and Risk Management

Team Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales Management, or related field (Hons preferred)

Job description

Category Manager (Foods)

R1.4m - R1.6m

Cape Town

Global, JSE listed FMCG Group has excellent career opportunity for highly seasoned Category Manager in foods. Reporting to the Sales and Marketing Executive you will be responsible for driving revenue growth, and successfully diversifying their portfolio across other foods categories within a competitive market.

Key responsibilities

Sales Strategy Development and Execution :

• Formulate, implement, and continuously enhance a comprehensive national sales strategy for the categories in order to achieve and exceed annual revenue and market share objectives.
• Work collaboratively with the Divisional Sales Managers to align sales initiatives with overall business goals and marketing campaigns.
• Identify new business opportunities, emerging market trends, and potential risks, translating insights into actionable sales plans.

Key Account Management :

• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with key national accounts, retail partners, and distributors.
• Negotiate commercial terms, resolve escalated issues, and identify joint value-creation opportunities with strategic partners.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality customer service as a preferred partner in the respective new food categories entered into.

Sales Operations and Reporting :

• Oversee sales forecasting, budgeting, pipeline management, and resource allocation of the categories in order to maximize efficiency and ensure successful market entry.
• Implement and manage robust sales processes, tools, and CRM systems to drive data-driven decisions and accountability.
• Deliver accurate, timely sales reports and insights to the Executive : Marketing and Sales highlighting successes, challenges, and strategic recommendations.

Market Intelligence and Competitive Analysis :

• Stay abreast of industry trends, competitor activities, and market dynamics to ensure successful new category entries.
• Gather and synthesize market intelligence, providing thought leadership and strategic input to senior management regarding product positioning and new market entry.

Compliance and Risk Management :

• Ensure adherence to all relevant legal, regulatory, and ethical standards in all sales activities and client engagements.
• Identify and mitigate potential risks to the organization’s reputation, financial performance, and client relationships.

Category & Team Leadership

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales Management, or a related field (Hons preferred).
• 8 -10 Years experience progressive experience in sales, with at least 5 years in a senior / national management role, ideally with the FMCG sector.
• Proven track record of delivering sustained sales growth and managing high-performance teams across multiple regions.
• Expertise in key account management, strategic negotiation, and stakeholder engagement at a senior level.