Sr. Category Strategy Manager, Functional Beverage

Sr. Category Strategy Manager, Functional Beverage

Senior Category Strategy Manager – B2B Functional Beverages
Glanbia Health & Nutrition

The Senior Category Strategy Manager – Functional Beverages is responsible for driving the strategic growth of the Global Functional Beverage Category within the Premix portion (B2B) of Glanbia Health & Nutrition. As the Senior Category Strategy Manager, you will lead and liaise with cross‑functional teams internally and externally to effectively manage and deliver on initiatives and strategies and will serve as a key link between technology partners, customers, and all relevant Glanbia functions.

• Develop and execute the global category strategy for Functional Beverages, including innovation priorities, go‑to‑market plans, and H&N cross‑portfolio solution selling to accelerate revenue growth.
• Lead the development of deep category understanding by synthesizing global market, consumer, and competitive insights to identify priority growth opportunities and inform strategic decision making.
• Serve as the category expert in customer engagements, partnering with sales and other functions to translate market insights into innovation opportunities and commercial growth.
• Coordinate new product launches with cross‑functional teams, ensuring strong value propositions backed by consumer insights and competitive analysis.
• Partner with sales to expand the opportunity pipeline and support targeted prospecting for new and emerging customers.
• Regularly assess category, key customer and brand performance, identifying opportunities to enhance customer appeal and category growth (including new beverage formats).
• Define and manage the category collaboration and innovation pipeline and roadmap, ensuring alignment between customer demand, technology capabilities, and long‑term portfolio strategy.
• Support delivery of category revenue ambition by identifying, prioritizing and advancing high‑value commercial opportunities (win‑room).
• Responsible for developing business cases and clear financial return expectations for various operational initiatives to achieve the functional beverage category strategy.
• Position Glanbia H&N as a category thought leader through industry presentations and trade shows.
• Enable the commercial (and wider organization) through category education, sales tools, and training that increase Glanbia H&N’s right to win.
• Vet new global market opportunities (technologies, expansions, partnerships, etc.) within the functional beverage category and provide recommendations.
• Develop value‑added pricing approach by understanding key market insights, competitive differentiators, and related factors.
• Lead cross‑functional alignment across R&D, marketing, insights, procurement, and commercial teams to ensure strategy execution.
• Provide category direction in commercial planning cycles and assist in driving forecast accuracy and alignment with short and long‑term financial objectives.

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 5‑10 years of experience in the B2B food and/or ingredients space preferably with a focus on business development, strategic marketing or product management.
• High proficiency with MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Strong financial acumen with experience shaping portfolio P&L outcomes, pricing, pack architecture, and strategic business cases.

• Proven ability to influence senior executives through data‑driven storytelling, strategic frameworks, and compelling recommendations.
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in written form with co‑workers, top management, internal and external customers, including excellent writing and presentation skills.
• Collaborate with project teams and across changing structures within a high‑growth business.
• Influence senior stakeholders through data‑driven storytelling and strategic insights.
• Strategic thinker, highly analytical, with good problem‑solving skills and comfortable with assessing market/business opportunities, understanding statistics.

Hybrid with approximately 15‑25% travel to customer sites, Glanbia offices, supplier visits, and industry…