Category & Shopper Manager - Fmcg (Retail)

Lead shopper insight and category insights, leading key initiatives from project development, management to completion
- Leadership for Category Vision and Drivers that enables customer teams to persuade key retail partners of the category strategy
- Create and deliver short and long term shopper insight initiatives, as prioritized by the management team, to support MPD planning & specific segment challenges to turn shoppers into buyers of our brands
- Leadership of brand / account workshops to enable the Marketing, Shopper Marketing & Sales teams to develop and sell the annual seasonal plans to our key retail partners
- Lead the key cross functional Shopper Marketing projects
- Coordination of both qualitative and quantitative consumer & shopper marketing research to lead new insights into the development of the category
- Lead ongoing development of Category Vision, Drivers & Tactics, to engage our retail partners on the growth opportunities for the confectionery category
- Through insight, lead and support customer marketing with new activation initiatives for brands to increase their visibility in store
- Lead for Shopper Marketing contribution to the annual brand planning process
- Support marketing team with shopper marketing insight/strategies that support new brand initiatives for existing and new products
- Ensure that the identified shopper strategies play a core role in the company, category and brand long term plans
- Support customer marketing team with category insight to lead new activation in store, both on and off the fixture.
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- Planning and Review:

- Provide support to the internal Brand and Key Account teams by conducting regular business analyses (with the focus on key strategic drivers and opportunities), presentations and merchandising solutions
- Proactive management of team priorities
- Build and develop internal reporting databases and templates
- Manage cross-functional targets
- Identify key trade opportunities including maximizing in-trade opportunities (ranging, distribution, merchandising and visibility)
- Oversee development of Category Selling stories
- Delivering commentaries and sales analysis for monthly business review reports, pro-actively identifying business opportunities and issues
- Merchandising Input
- Manage planograms & merchandising guidelines to support category shelving initiatives including the training thereof internally and externally
- Responsible for updating space management product / image library & IRi data characteristics
- Team Leadership
- Training members of the cross functional team on data systems (Retailer POS, IRi)
- Build effective working relationships and processes with the Sales and Marketing teams with the aim of driving incremental category and brand growth
- Lead cross functional ways of working ultimately ensuring alignment to and focus on business objectives

**Skills and Knowledge**
- Proven Category Management Expertise
- Advanced MS Excel, IRi Temple & Space Planning Skills
- Understanding shopper/consumer/market insights and how these drive category growth in retailers
- Understanding of competitor and market dynamics
- Excellent numeracy, analytical and data interpretation skills
- Understanding brand and key account strategies and interpreting these into customized category plans
- Implementing and evaluating category plans in-store
- Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build relationships and influence at all levels - internal and external
- Confident, assertive self-starter with a drive for results and highly motivated
- High level of initiative, able to drive projects independently
- Structured with organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines

**Requirements**:

- BComm Degree or suitable tertiary qualification
- Previous experience in a customer-facing Category Management role, FMCG environment (minimum 5 years)
- Prerequisites include advanced skills & working knowledge of external market data software and space planning software
- Knowledge of and advanced skills in Microsoft Office (specifically Excel and PowerPoint)

As per our client’s operational requirements, a clear credit and criminal history will apply

For more information please contact:

- Marlene Smith