Category Excellence & Customer Development OT Senior Manager

Overview

The Category Excellence Manager is responsible for leading and enhancing the category growth and activation agenda across Modern Trade, E-Commerce, and Away-From-Home (AFH) channels. The role adapts worldwide category management and customer engagements best practices to the KSA market, ensuring proper rollout and adoption. It leads the World Class Customer Engagement (WCCE) model, drives cross-functional alignment across Sales, RGM, Marketing and E‑Com, and ensures execution excellence in major commercial events (e.g. World Cup, Formula 1, Ramadan).

The manager also supports capability building across field and head‑office teams to deliver profitable, insight‑led category growth.

• Develop the multi-channel category capability-building strategy, with a detailed annual rollout and scorecard.
• Partner with E-Commerce and AFH teams to embed category leadership principles and 4P strategies across all trade channels.
• Lead the development of customer‑and event‑based toolkits (assortment, content/visibility, pricing & promotions).
• Co‑own national event planning (World Cup, Formula 1, Ramadan, National Day) with Marketing and Sales for unified execution.
• Ensure regular review and organization of KPIs across MT, E‑Com, and AFH performance dashboards.
• Coach Key Account Managers on profitable account management, leveraging analytics and shopper insights.
• Collaborate with the RGM and OT Excellence teams to integrate pricing, pack, and promotional effectiveness in trade plans.
• Document post‑initiative learnings and share best practices to strengthen category execution capabilities across teams.

• 8‑10 years of FMCG experience in Sales, Category Management, or Trade Marketing, with exposure to E‑Commerce and/or AFH.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of channel economics, shopper behavior, and event‑based execution.
• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving skills with proficiency in EPOS, Nielsen, Power BI, and digital commerce dashboards.
• Demonstrated functional expertise and a proven track record of delivering results in complex multi‑channel environments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to lead discussions and influence across all levels.
• Excellent relationship building and collaboration skills with internal stakeholders (Sales, RGM, Marketing) and external partners (Retailers, Platforms, Distributors).
• Project management capability – able to lead cross‑functional teams, build critical paths, and deliver initiatives on time.
• Strong organizational ability to manage a high workload, multiple priorities, and deliver consistent outcomes.
• Experience in event‑based commercial planning (e.g. Ramadan, Formula 1, World Cup).
• Fluent in English and Arabic with excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, able to motivate and develop teams while maintaining collaborative relationships across functions.
• Results‑driven and strategically minded, demonstrating integrity, sound judgment, and discipline in execution.