Category Manager – Retail

Category Manager – Huddersfield

£55,000-£60,000 salary | Private Medical | Pension | Life Assurance | 30 days’ total holiday including bank holidays | Onsite parking

Are you an experienced Category Manager, Buyer or Commercial professional ready to take ownership of a high-growth category and make a real commercial impact?

This is an exciting opportunity to join a large, successful, family-owned multinational business and play a key role in shaping the pet category for retailers across the UK.

As Category Manager, you’ll have end-to-end ownership of category strategy and performance
, developing plans that maximise sales, margin and profitability while delivering the right range and value for customers.

You’ll work closely with major suppliers and internal stakeholders, using market insight and commercial expertise to shape ranging, pricing, promotions and supplier investment.

You’ll also mentor and develop Category Assistants
, giving you the opportunity to build your leadership experience while making a visible contribution to the wider commercial team.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Developing and delivering category strategies and plans
• Owning ranging, pricing and promotional activity
• Maximising sales, margin, retail POR and cash profit
• Building strong supplier relationships and Joint Business Plans
• Negotiating supplier funding for marketing, media and promotional initiatives
• Analysing category, market and promotional performance to identify opportunities
• Managing range development, identifying gaps and strengthening the overall customer proposition
• Developing the right balance of branded and own-brand products
• Planning seasonal promotions and key commercial initiatives
• Maximising product availability across your categories
• Working closely with internal and external stakeholders
• Mentoring and developing Category Assistants
• Driving continuous improvement and delivering commercially successful outcomes

We’re looking for a commercially driven professional with significant experience in FMCG wholesale or retail
, ideally within buying, sales or category management.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience developing and delivering category strategies and promotional plans
• Strong commercial judgement and analytical skills
• Excellent negotiation and influencing ability
• Tenacity, confidence and determination to achieve commercial results
• Strong supplier and stakeholder relationship-building skills
• Experience analysing market, category and performance data
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• A genuine commitment to continuous improvement

This is an opportunity to move beyond simply managing a category. You’ll have genuine ownership, influence and accountability
, working with suppliers and internal teams to shape the future of an important and evolving market.

You’ll join an established and growing international organisation with a strong family-owned heritage, a diverse portfolio of businesses and operations across the UK and internationally.

In return, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your career, influence commercial strategy, build strong supplier partnerships and see the direct impact of your work
.

£55,000-£60,000 salary

Plus:

• 30 days’ total holiday including bank holidays
• Private Medical
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Onsite parking

You don’t need to tick every box. If you have most of the relevant experience and are ready for a role where you can genuinely influence category performance and make your mark, we’d love to hear from you.

Location:
Huddersfield