Category Marketing Manager

Do you love combining data and creativity to build best-in-class category strategies? Thrive on working with top-tier retailers and being the “voice of the shopper”? Fancy shaping the future of a fast-paced, insight-driven category with a supportive, values-led team? If yes – this is the role for you.

💼 The Opportunity:

We’re looking for a Category Marketing Manager to join our high-performing commercial team in a site-based role in the East Midlands. This is a senior-level position focused on one of the UK’s largest and most influential grocery retailers - Tesco.

You'll work cross-functionally with commercial, insight, NPD, and senior leadership to shape and deliver category plans that unlock real growth for both the business and our retail partner. You’ll be a trusted strategic voice, combining shopper insight, retailer understanding, and market data to drive intelligent decisions and long-term value.

🛠️ What You’ll Be Doing:

• Creating and delivering strategic, insight-led category plans that support both our business and Tesco’s growth objectives.
• Leading regular market and customer reviews, presenting with clarity and impact.
• Bringing the shopper voice to life, identifying behavioural trends and gaps in knowledge, and working with insight teams to fill them.
• Supporting the Stage Gate process, ensuring insight informs innovation and NPD briefs at every level.
• Getting hands-on with merchandising, ranging, and promotion planning to optimise in-store and online performance.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders across commercial, technical, and development teams.
• Supporting and mentoring junior team members to build broader team capability.

This is an influential, fast-moving role where insight meets action — and where your voice will genuinely shape category direction at the highest level.

🌟 What You’ll Bring:

• Proven experience in category management within an FMCG environment (manager level or equivalent).
• Excellent understanding of shopper and market insight tools (Kantar, Dunnhumby, EPOS, etc.).
• Experience working with UK retail customers, ideally including Tesco.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills – you can turn data into clear, compelling strategies.
• A naturally collaborative approach and a hands-on, “can-do” attitude.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint – you know how to build a killer deck.
• A full UK driving licence.

Bonus if you’ve worked with loyalty card data or have experience mentoring or managing junior colleagues.