We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Category Manager for a well-established, fast-growing food business that operates in the dynamic UK retail and foodservice markets. You will be instrumental in shaping the category strategy, owning the customer relationships, and driving brand performance across both in-store and online channels. This is a highly influential role that offers the opportunity to lead a category team and manage a complex portfolio of premium brands.

The Role:

As the Senior Category Manager, you will develop and manage the strategic category agenda and key customer relationships to deliver against the business’s budgeted P&L goals. Your key areas of responsibility include:

Build and lead the annual category strategy for a portfolio of brands, setting a 1–5-year roadmap that drives growth and market share.
Own the consumer and category agenda internally by leveraging data and insights to influence decision-making.
Continuously enhance the Category Team’s processes and performance by establishing clear metrics and a culture of high performance.
Lead and maintain strategic category partnerships with key retail customers, managing range reviews, performance management, and innovation pipeline to strengthen market presence.
Deliver effective performance management and range optimisation to align with customer needs and business objectives.
Collaborate with brand owners to shape and execute an innovation and range management strategy.
Act as a trusted partner, ensuring alignment with brand owners on key performance indicators and growth initiatives.
Manage the category’s CI (Category Insight) budget and external data partnerships, ensuring access to the best insights to drive forward-looking decisions.
Deliver comprehensive category performance reporting, including monthly and quarterly reviews, as well as post-implementation analysis to track key outcomes.

You:

Proven experience in category management within the FMCG sector, ideally with a focus on food & beverage or similar categories.
Strong commercial acumen and a track record of delivering growth through category and customer relationship management.
In-depth understanding of category insights, data analytics, and the ability to translate data into actionable business strategies.
Experience working with key retailers and managing strategic relationships.
Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence both internal stakeholders and external partners.
A consultative selling approach, underpinned by a deep knowledge of customer, shopper, and consumer behaviour.

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Senior Category Manager