Category Development Manager

Job Description

Job Description:

An exciting opportunity has arisen at Mars Wrigley for someone looking to gain valuable experience within the Category Development team. The role will lead the development of category growth strategies for customers and provide insight and thought leadership to drive purchase. The successful candidate will be the voice of the category, customer, and shopper, providing key insights linked to the category vision through key business forums and through effective stakeholder engagement.

What are we looking for?

The jobholder will be responsible for building winning category customer relationships and delivering functional excellence in all Category Leadership initiatives, tactics and practices through leveraging market, shopper and customer insights and identifying category growth opportunities. The jobholder will be the voice of the customer, category and shopper within the MW business and will also play a supporting role in helping to define the long-term strategic category agenda with customers.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Create short- and long-term category strategies for customer(s), aligned to the customer prioritization model and category vision, ensuring a strong understanding of the category growth drivers
• Category Growth – Provide insights through to action to maintain/improve/drive the customer’s outperformance in confectionery vs. competitive set
• Build strong and influential relationships externally and internally, focused on delivering shopper, channel, and category centric solutions so that Mars is viewed as “THE” trusted category expert
• Use a mix of market, shopper, and customer insights to identify growth opportunities and leverage/ execute these with high standards in all Category Leadership initiatives, tactics, practices. Engage cross-functional resources to deliver the growth opportunities
• Be the voice of the customer, category and shopper internally and build understanding within the wider Discounter and Category Leadership and Sales functions on Category and Mars performance and trends
• Support the creation and development of non-innovation (NIMBUS) opportunities for customer(s), delivering against strategic initiatives including seasonal events, driving the perfect store agenda through category fundamentals including space, secondary display and distribution, plus brand initiatives and NPD
• Support the customer(s) Range Reviews through providing analytical and category management support
• Support bespoke compelling category selling stories to support the annual activity plan to maximize Mars’ initiatives
• Support the Category Development Head through providing accurate, data led category insights and analytical support as and when required.

Background/Experience

• Category management/Customer management experience essential
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships both internal and external
• Financially astute and proven business judgement with an understanding of the commercial impact of their own decision making
• Working in cross functional environment/team
• Data literate, competent in excel and PowerPoint

• Experience of Category management tools preferable but not essential

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

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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.