Category Development Manager

Ref: AS8038902

Reading, England

£70,000

• Permanent
• FMCG Category Growth
• Retail Partnerships
• Shopper Insights

About the candidate

A results-driven category development professional with over six years’ experience across the FMCG and consumer goods sectors. They bring a strong background in category strategy, shopper insight and retail partnership management, with a track record of turning data into practical commercial plans that improve visibility, promotional performance and category growth.

They are now looking for a permanent opportunity and are available to start in two weeks. Based in Reading, England, they would suit a business looking for a commercially minded category specialist who can work confidently with buyers, merchandising teams, sales and marketing colleagues.

What makes them great?

• Proven category growth: Helped deliver a 15% increase in market share over two years through effective category planning and retail collaboration.
• Improved reporting performance: Enhanced data reporting processes, resulting in a 20% improvement in reporting accuracy and efficiency.
• Commercial impact: Supported promotional planning and client engagement activity that contributed to a 10% increase in quarterly sales.

Areas of expertise

• Category strategy: Experienced in developing and managing category plans for key retail customers, helping align commercial goals with shopper and market insight.
• Data and insights: Skilled at analysing market trends, shopper behaviour and sales performance to create clear, actionable recommendations.
• Retail stakeholder management: Confident building strong relationships with buyers, merchandising teams and internal cross-functional stakeholders.