Category Manager

Started in 2004 by Co-Founders Howie and Jodie, Shaken Udder first produced our delicious tasting, fresh milkshakes selling at events and festivals throughout the UK. In 2021, we are now the UK’s No.1 Premium Milkshake Brand. This is a key role within the Commercial team leading our Premium milkshake category agenda across priority customers. The category manager will drive insight and influence at head offices ensuring our branded milkshakes gain a greater share of distribution, space, and primary positions on shelf and chiller.

Responsibilities

Within your key customers, tailor and implement the areas for growth across 4 P’s -promo, pricing, placement, range/display across all channels –Grocery/Digital/Convenience/ wholesale Cash & Carry; Tailor the Shaken udder retailer execution plans for specified customers and agree and implement long term category strategies with your customer; Identify bespoke areas of growth for the customers through interrogating category/shopper data and execute delivery within your retailer plans; Track category and customer performances providing ongoing pro-active insights to internal stakeholders and externally to customers, that translate into growth plans; Provides monthly holistic external insights, trends, and performance KPI’s (Shopper, Consumer, Retailer, Food); Tailor NPD & Innovation sell in proposals for your customer; Provide clear, insights both internally and externally from advanced analysis, generating growth driving ideas or address underperformances; Champion the category vision and contribute to the annual planning process, clearly guiding the strategic direction for each key Customer; Lead range reviews for your customer ensuring a shopper and category first approach; Build solid relationships in customers – become the trusted partner of choice through pro-active insight delivery; Develop independent relationship with customers proactively leading range reviews, performance updates, responding to ad hoc requests as well as pro-actively supporting your customer with insights.

Requirements

Fully conversant with Kantar/Nielsen/IRI/DH/I2C data systems; Minimum 2 years FMCG experience in category/commercial/strategy roles; Experience in a customer facing category role delivering growth for customers; Curious by nature and applies this to shopper/category understanding – A detective mindset rather than a historian; A Storyteller – Can create the context of ‘Why’ and ‘How’ succinctly from multiple complex data sources; Commercially Astute – Full appreciation of retailer commercial challenges and business commercial challenges and able to navigate through them; A problem solver – Able to find solutions to complex category problems from lots of data without becoming ‘data blind’; Team First – A true team player and focussed on success for the team and function; A Performance Mindset and results driven; Comfortable with ambiguity and not always having 100% of the answers but enough to drive fantastic execution; Relationship Builder – can build a rapport quickly and maintain it and comfortable independently managing stakeholders; Inspires confidence – trusted to get on with the job and thrives with challenges; Fully conversant in all data sets and awesome at finding the insights – A true expert in category and shopper; Adaptable – Able to embrace change quickly and adapt to changing needs of shoppers, customers, and Shaken Udder; Shopper and Category Obsessed – Genuine passion for understanding the shopper and using this understanding to drive a competitive advantage

Benefits

Bonus; Benefits; Flexible working (work from home 2-3 days per week)