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Mars UK • Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Category Development Manager Wholesale (12 Month Contract)

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9.4

/10

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Job Description

Job Description:

Category Development Lead Wholesale 12 Month Assignment

You 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. You will be the voice of the customer, category and shopper within the Mars Wrigley business and will play a leading role in defining the long-term strategic ambition and category agenda for Traditional Convenience, our singles heartland.

What are we looking for?

  • 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, able to turn data into insights and actions

What will be your key responsibilities?

  • Create short- and long-term category strategies for Wholesale, Foodservice and their partners, ensuring a strong understanding of the category growth drivers
  • Use a mix of market, shopper, and customer insights to identify growth opportunities and recommendations in line with the Snacking Category Vision Driver and Activation platforms
  • Deploy a T&L programme to continually evolve category thought leadership
  • Lead and influence customer thinking and execution of key initiatives such as store layouts, range and space allocation, location optimisation and BIC activation of Category products
  • 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

What can you expect from Mars?

  • Work with 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.

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.

Company benefits

Open to part-time employees
Open to job sharing
Open to compressed hours
Sabbaticals
Enhanced maternity leave – 26 weeks at 90% pay
Enhanced paternity leave – 26 weeks at 90% pay
24 days annual leave + bank holidays
“Pawternity” leave
Pregnancy loss leave
Bank holiday swaps
Shared parental leave
Adoption leave
Family health insurance
Pregnancy support
Neo-natal leave
Faith rooms
Meditation space
Dog friendly office
Dog friendly co-working space
Annual bonus
Employee discounts
Cinema discounts
Referral bonus
Joining bonus
Cycle to work scheme
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Theme park discounts
Lunch and learns
In house training
LinkedIn learning license
Studying sabbaticals
Open to part time work for some roles

Working at Mars UK

Company employees

4,000 In the UK

Gender diversity (male:female)

57:43

Currently Hiring Countries

Denmark

France

Poland

United Kingdom

United States

Office Locations

Awards & Achievements

1st – Family Friendly

1st – Family Friendly

Flexa awards 2025
2nd – Pet Friendly

2nd – Pet Friendly

Flexa awards 2025
Flexible

Flexible

Flexa awards 2025
Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion

Flexa awards 2025
Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance

Flexa awards 2025
Career Progression

Career Progression

Flexa awards 2025
Culture

Culture

Flexa awards 2025
Benefits

Benefits

Flexa awards 2025
1st – Large companies

1st – Large companies

Flexa100 2024
Consumer Goods

Consumer Goods

Industry awards 2023
3rd – Large companies

3rd – Large companies

Flexa100 2023
Retail & Ecommerce

Retail & Ecommerce

Industry awards 2022