Category Manager

At **RCL FOODS** we see and do things differently, we think bigger, work smarter and as a team collectively work towards achieving our ambition, to Grow What Matters

***RCL FOODS** is on the hunt for a **Category Manager** with a passion for Customers to join the **Customer Marking Division** based in **Westville or Johannesburg.**

The successful incumbent will facilitate collaboration between the customer, distributor and internal stakeholders to determine the point of optimisation in pricing, promotion, shelving, and assortment to maximise profitability and shopper satisfaction by collecting and interpreting the latest industry trends, leveraging available data and utilising best in class technology from leading solution providers.

**Duties & Responsibilities**:
**Category Management**
- Analyse shelf health (on-shelf availability, right forward share, best shelf position).
- Analyse pricing data (from relevant pricing tools).
- Monitor product availability, visibility and affordability and consolidate feedback into actionable plans for the customer team to implement.
- Use and leverage specific category insights.
- Execute brand standards (brand DNA) and support development and execution of channel-specific brand standards.
- Measure and review category performance; retail/wholesale margins and customer profitability.

**Information Analysis, Management and Reporting**
- Provide detailed reports illustrating trends, predictions, and relevant strategies, with a focus on NRM analytics.Analyse and interpret key data.
- Provide regular reports on category results including NRM results
- Assist in the production of reports, data, presentations and any other items deemed necessary to support the sales function.

**New Product Launching**
- Develop and deliver new product launch plans in the trade, with required analysis and feedback.
- Support new product introductions for listing into mix.

**Customer Relationship Management**
- Ensure that critical customer information is available to the customer team.
- Identify customer information requirements.
- Follow up and ensure that sales team initiatives (customer plans) are effectively implemented with the identified customers.
- Prepare, analyse and present category reviews to customers and interact with customers on assortment analysis, category performance and ranging.

**Category Planning**
- Support the annual joint business planning process through data analysis and opportunity identification.
- Run customer-specific category management projects.
- Integrate research insights into the category process for actionable on-ground deliverables.
- Develop proposals and recommendations for customers in executing category management projects, including NRM Initiatives
- Drive category management projects liaising with the front end & operations team to ensure smooth implementation including NRM practices.

**Performance Evaluation**
- Measure and review category performance and customer profitability.
- Compile and consolidate business dashboards, scorecards, and measurements, conducting category performance analysis (including causes of deviation) with an eye on NRM opportunities.

**Financial Management**
- Manage trade spend budgets within agreed limits, ensuring that all initiatives are shown to be commerci

**Minimum Requirements**:
**Qualification**
- A Degree or Diploma in Marketing or Business Management (3 years)
- Valid Code EB Drivers licence

**Skills and Experience**
- Budget planning and cost management
- Analytical thinking
- Project management
- Marketing management principles and practices
- Market research methodologies
- Category management principles
- Consumer behaviour
- Competing products
- Business processes