Category Manager

We’re looking for a talented and innovative Category Manager ideally with healthcare industry experience to join a successful manufacturing business based in Leicestershire.

You’ll take responsibility for the development and implementation of effective route-to-market category marketing plans that increase the company share of the market, and grow a selection of brands in ways that align to the internal business plan and achieve the goals of the business.

In addition, you’ll work effectively alongside the sales and marketing teams, promoting a cohesive and collaborative approach whilst ensuring that all brand and category marketing plans are delivered, and performance indicators achieved.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Leading the definition of the growth strategy and contributing to the overall brand strategy
• Contributing to joint business planning with partners and sales colleagues
• Driving the category marketing forecasting process and defining the category marketing plan in collaboration with internal stakeholders and business partners
• Feeding business partner marketing needs into international category marketing resourcing.
• Working with the brand manager to produce integrated and aligned marketing programmes
• Delivering category marketing implementation including plan implementation/delivery project management, collateral, training and content creation
• Ensuring marketing programmes are defined and aligned to deliver the agreed marketing strategy, brand and category goals and company goals
• Developing category marketing collaborations (white label partnerships) and service propositions
• Using the marketing processes and systems agreed amongst the team to support effective marketing delivery.
• Tracking progress and providing regular reports on category marketing KPIs
• Contributing to cross functional business processes to enhance the customer experience, resourcing and profitability of the business (for example, regular marketing forecasting and marketing input to business planning cycles).

Skills and experience required:

• Extensive previous experience in the management of global category marketing ideally within the healthcare or related industry sector.
• Proven track record of category growth; able to give examples of successful initiatives.
• Skilled at interpreting user behaviours and needs and translating them into effective category marketing plans.
• Confident briefing and managing external agencies and suppliers to the required standards.
• Takes a collaborative approach to working closely with the sales teams.
• Builds compelling and commercially attractive activity proposals
• Able to accurately evaluate activity performance
• Project planning and leadership skills; whilst there is no direct people management in this role, you will be required to show leadership and inspire others to collaborate effectively.
• Influencing skills at all levels and across geographies
• Culturally astute and able to market across different regions and cultures
• Assertiveness – Being clear, objective and focused on the right outcomes
• Analytical skills to be able to diagnose and develop insight-led propositions.

Hours of work:

• Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.00pm

Salary and benefits:

• 45,000 – £50,000