Customer Category Specialist

Job Description

Job Description:

• 6 month contract role
• Join us at Mars in this key impactful role.
• Mars New Zealand home to market leading brands such as MARS®, SNICKERS®, EXTRA®, ECLIPSE®, PEDIGREE®
• Hybrid working environment – 3 days in our Ellerslie office, 2 days from home

Join a purpose-led business where your work makes a difference to pets, and their people. We are looking for a Customer Category Manager to join our team on a contract basis and drive best-in-class customer collaboration and category leadership with our key retail partners.

This role is pivotal in driving the growth of the Petfood category for both Mars NZ and our key retail partners. You will act as the category expert, leveraging deep market and shopper insights to develop and execute strategies that enhance shopper experience and deliver mutual business objectives. This position is the key interface for Petfood category reviews and recommendations with our customers, directly influencing in-store execution and commercial success.

Reporting to Market Category Lead and part of the broader Market Strategy & Deployment team, this role will be the expert voice of the pet nutrition category across all priority customers and internal stakeholders. You’ll be responsible for developing and delivering insight-led, customer-centric strategies that grow the category, deliver the Mars ‘Picture of Success’ in-store, and build trusted partnerships that drive mutual profitability and growth.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the execution of insight-led category growth plans that align to both Mars’ category vision and our customer’s strategies.
• Monitor and interpret market and shopper trends, competitor activity, and retail channel developments, proactively sharing insights to inform strategic and commercial decisions.
• Lead customer category reviews and provide clear, actionable insights using tools such as Nielsen and Quantium/Dunnhumby.

• Build strong partnerships to deliver best-in-class customer collaboration through, driving range, space, distribution solutions that grow the category and our brands.

• Champion the Mars Perfect Store programme, ensuring strong in-store and omnichannel execution that enhances shopper conversion. through joint business planning.
  

What We’re Looking For

• Degree qualified in a relevant discipline.

• Proven experience in FMCG Category Management, market and shopper insights preferably within major grocery retail.

• Strong commercial acumen with advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Deep expertise in Nielsen/Circana and Quantium/Dunnhumby analytics tools.

• Ability to influence and build strong partnerships, both internally and externally to deliver results.

• Curious, proactive, and growth-minded individual passionate about pets and category excellence.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Genuine career progression with a focus on you and your career goals. Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• Global health and wellbeing program to support flexibility and work-life balance.
• Opportunity to make a difference with our volunteer and ambassador programs.
• Be part of a company that is contributing to making the world a better place today and every day through on our sustainable generation plan.
• A culture that offers collaboration, leadership and rewards you for the role you play within Mars.
• Work for a well-established distributor of pet food, confectionery and food products in our multi-sales business.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

Applications will only be accepted from candidates who have the appropriate approval to work in New Zealand.