Senior Category Manager – Cape Town

SUMMARY:
My client, an International High-End retailer is seeking to employ a Senior Category Manager for the Cape Town Head Office

POSITION INFO:

Senior Category Manager – Cape Town

My client, an International High-End retailer is seeking to employ a Senior Category Manager for the Cape Town Head Office

Position Purpose

This position will entail proactive analysis of current business trends, which include identifying future opportunities and minimizing potential risks to the existing business. This role will be responsible to develop fact-based and visionary strategies to improve business results, deliver future opportunities through category insights, and strategies. The Senior Category Analyst will have the opportunity to drive incremental and sustainable business growth by leveraging skills in IRi analysis, Category Management process, and planogram development in partnership with the sales team, and our strategic customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Ongoing analysis of category trends and tactics, lead the development of retailer specific category reviews, assortment analysis, and promotional evaluations
• Develop recommendations to support category growth principles with concise insights from multiple data sources
• Identify key trade opportunities including maximizing in-trade opportunities (ranging, distribution, merchandising and visibility) as well as providing/driving ideas across regions and key accounts (through frequent trade visits)
• Provide support to the internal Brand and Key Account teams by conducting regular business analyses (with the focus on key strategic drivers and opportunities), presentations and merchandising solutions
• Assist in developing selling stories to help drive category principles
• Provide strategic recommendations on suggested product ranging (by customer) as well as distribution targets for NPD’s
• Delivering commentaries and sales analysis for monthly business review reports, pro-actively identifying business opportunities and issues
• Responsible for updating space management product / image library & IRi data characteristics
• Manage planograms & merchandising guidelines to support category shelving initiatives including the training thereof internally and externally
• Development and implementation of excel based templates and reports
• Training members of the cross functional team on data systems (Retailer POS, IRi)
• Leadership and development of the Category Management team
• Build effective working relationships and processes with the Sales and Marketing teams with the aim of driving incremental category and brand growth
• Manage cross-functional targets

Requirements

• Proven Category Management Expertise
• Advanced MS Excel, IRi Temple & Space Planning Skills
• Understanding shopper/consumer/market insights and how these drive category growth in retailers
• Understanding of competitor and market dynamics
• Excellent numeracy, analytical and data interpretation skills
• Understanding brand and key account strategies and interpreting these into customized category plans
• Implementing and evaluating category plans in-store
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build relationships and influence at all levels – internal and external
• Confident, assertive self-starter with a drive for results and highly motivated
• High level of initiative, able to drive projects independently
• Structured with organizational skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines

Qualifications/experience

• B.Com Degree or suitable tertiary qualification
• Previous experience in a customer-facing Category Management role, FMCG environment (Minimum 5 years)
• Prerequisites include advanced skills & working knowledge of external market data software and space planning software
• Knowledge of and advanced skills in Microsoft Office (specifically Excel and PowerPoint)

Market Related Salary – Negotiable depending on experience

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