Category Insights Manager

Location: Welwyn Garden City – Hybrid working

Some of our other fantastic benefits

• Potential, discretionary bonus
• 12 flexible days on top of 25-day holiday entitlement
• A focus on personal development and growth

Although this is a full‑time permanent opportunity, please speak to us about what flexibility means to you as we are always open to discuss individual’s flexible working needs, don’t let this stop you from applying.

Position Summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented Category Insights Manager to join our CDT “Commercial Development team” in the UKI market to champion category and shopper insights within Cereal Partners and our retail multiple accounts and discounter channel; driving what’s best for the category and ultimately delivering growth for both. You’ll provide whole category analysis, recommendations and strategic advice based on solid category and shopper insight internally and externally. We want to be “Trusted for putting the Shopper first”.

About us

We are Cereal Partners and together we make breakfast better. This belief is the foundation upon which Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) is built. As a unique joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé, we are a leading global breakfast cereal company in our own right – with a very special culture. Partnership is the secret ingredient in our business, and that means we have created a culture of togetherness that helps us do things better. Better Food, Better Lives, Better Planet and a Better CPW are promises that we try to live and work by, and that all adds up to a better breakfast. To us, that means providing consumers with tasty and nutritious breakfast cereals that make them feel good for the day ahead; working with customers to get the best cereal products and brands on the shelf; and supporting one another, as colleagues, to be the best we can be. That’s how we’re able to bring to market some of the best-loved breakfast cereals in the world, including SHREDDIES®, SHREDDED WHEAT®, NESQUIK® and CHEERIOS®.

Your impact

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Develop long‑term sustainable category partnerships with key retailers in our Developing Channels area of the business which includes Discounters, Convenience & Wholesale. The priority will be Aldi, Lidl & Coop but may go wider in these channels depending on the request.
• Design and execute an annual insight plan, demonstrating category thought leadership, expertise in knowing and understanding the shopper, and highlighting short‑term & long‑term growth opportunities.
• Set up and maintain regular meetings with the buyer to progress the category plan.
• Proactively manage customer range reviews, merchandising changes, store trials and ad‑hoc projects providing fact‑based recommendations and solutions, ensuring all key customer deadlines are met.
• Champion our Category and Shopper Vision as a framework for long‑term growth, tailoring where possible to increase customer relevance & understanding. Work alongside the Shopper team to then provide actionable recommendations for activation or trial.
• Produce advanced data analysis from multiple data sources to provide relevant reports, category updates and trend updates.
• Participate in shopper research projects as and when required.
• Be a data expert – interrogating all available data resources which may include KANTAR, CIRCANA, IGD, DUNNHUMBY, NECTAR, MINTEL to generate insight and champion data usage across the business.
• Contribute to the annual category planning process, and work with the Category Development Manager to drive strategic direction for your retailers and ensuring the category growth agenda is always top of mind.
• Be the shopper expert providing insight and the shopper’s point of view to Sales, Marketing & the Shopper Activation team.
• Actively provide consultant advice and support to the Sales & Marketing teams to highlight distribution, range and promotional strategy opportunities for Cereal Partners in your customers / channels.

Your ingredients for success

You’ll have a breadth of category insights experience within FMCG and have a proven track record in being a data expert. Ideally, you’ll have worked across different retailer multiple accounts and/or different channels.

Experience of interrogating some of the following data sources such as Kantar, Circana, Dunnhumby or Nectar to generate insight and champion data usage across the business is essential.

You’ll also:

• Have excellent attention to detail.
• Be highly numerate and analytical with prior working knowledge of category sales data.
• Extracting the insight from the data sources is key but being able to craft and relay the story whilst providing clear insights, opportunities and actions is just as important.
• Be able to work on own initiative and as part of a wide cross‑functional team.
• Have a real aptitude for IT skills, strong in Excel and Powerpoint whilst previous experience in space planning systems would be advantageous.
• Be comfortable in front of customers and be able to influence them by presenting with expertise on the category.

What you need to know

Advert posting date: 30/04/2026. Advert closing date: 14/05/2026.

Equal Opportunity

At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect and we believe that embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment allows everyone to reach their full potential and drives innovative thinking. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, parents, carers and members of the LGBT+ community. Please let us know if we can provide accommodations to ensure your full participation in the application process.

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