Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you. As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.
To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose‑led, resilient and positive. We expect pace and agility, insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact. Click “Apply” to get started.
What will this role achieve?
The Category Strategy Manager is responsible for shaping and executing the strategic direction of product categories to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and market leadership. This role combines strategic thinking, commercial acumen, insights & analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration to deliver category excellence across multiple channels. Working as part of the Commercial Excellence team and reporting to the Head of Category Strategy, the role bridges Sales & Marketing to develop and lead multi‑year category strategies.
What will be your key deliverables?
- Develop Category Vision & Strategies – Work with the Head of Category Strategy to create our category vision in priority categories such as Savoury, Sweet and Confectionery; help to define the strategic role of each category within the portfolio, including innovation, pricing, and promotional architecture; support the creation & execution of multi‑year category strategies aligned with business objectives and customer needs.
- Develop Category Growth Drivers – Provide a clear narrative for Cat Dev to take externally to customers.
- Setting Consistent Standards & Narratives – Set Point of Purchase Standards by channel & category via the creation of category playbooks; influence macro space positively for pladis categories directly with key customers, and with CatDev to execute across channels and retailers; develop POV narrative for major macro retail challenges (e.g. LHF / GLP‑1); provide customer‑centric shopper narratives aligned to pladis plans for CatDev to tailor by customer.
- Cross‑Functional Collaboration – Partner with the marketing team to ensure category & pladis opportunities are realised by influencing both the NPD pipeline & shopper/consumer marketing activities & choices; partner with Commercial Operations to optimise pricing, pack architecture, and trade investment; work closely with Marketing, Sales, Insights, Finance, Cat Dev and Supply Chain to ensure integrated commercial plans are developed and delivered; work with Brand & Commercial Excellence to advise on pladis NPD, including distribution & ROS assumptions in consultation with CatDev on specific customers.
- Insights & Analysis – Leverage consumer, shopper, and market insights to inform category strategy and drive data‑led decision‑making; ensure a unified approach to business insights, reducing silos and promoting one version of the truth.
- Team Contribution – Actively support capability building within the category strategy function; contribute to a high‑performance culture through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, or a related field.
- Understanding and experience of the UK FMCG market.
- Proven understanding of category management principles and execution, including a broad numerical & analytical background.
- Ideally minimum of 2 years category management (or commercial / commercial operations) experience.
- Strategic mindset – capable of transforming brands from products into compelling consumer experiences and scalable growth platforms.
- Proven ability to analyse complex data sets and turn them into clear and useful insights that translate into actionable strategies.
- Storytelling – strong communication, presentation & influencing skills with a proven record of delivery.
- Good relationship‑building skills with partners.
- Proficient knowledge of data sets spanning but not limited to JDA, Nielsen, Kantar, Dunnhumby.
- Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
- Knowledge of consumer behaviour, shopper & retail dynamics, and market trends.
- Ability to use Microsoft Office products.
pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.
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