Our client are one of the UK's major food manufacturers, and on an exciting growth path. They operate across multiple categories, have true partnerships with the major retailers and have a highly innovative approach to development. This is an excellent role for someone looking to take a step up in their career and work in a business which can support your future growth. The role will report into a Category Controller managing ASDA and Morrisons, this isn't a home based role - There is flexibility but you need to be pragmatic and geographically mobile to customers and manufacturing sites You will take responsibility for the category management of ASDA and Morrisons ; to support category process in line with the Customer strategic objectives to deliver category growth Company Information Key Accountabilities Build relationships with key buying / category / range contacts, that makes our client the most trusted supplier in the category Support development of a category, innovation & brand cycle which works 12 months from the customers planning processes, helping them to drive the long term growth of the category Have a robust view on sector, category & consumer trends and can identify future opportunities and gaps Bring together shopper insights, market & retailer data to best understand & present the market & the consumer dynamics Lead category reviews, identify issues & develop recommendations to drive growth for our client & our customers in line with strategies & objectives Monitor outcomes through category analysis and make recommendations to correct if / when necessary Deliver agreed reporting schedule to retailer ensuring that range review recommendations, range change reviews and NPD performance tracking is all delivered in a timely manner that fits to retailer planning horizons Work with the Marketing teams to create compelling category stories for branded innovation / listings Work with the NPD teams providing consumer / market insights to support the category and customer innovation processes Ensure that the Commercial teams are appraised of all analysis to deliver a consistent message to our customers, highlighting risks & opportunities Provide input to the commercial planning teams to aid future forecasts including innovation ROS and promotional uplifts Support the development of shopper marketing plans / promo plans / NPD launches linking with key stakeholders throughout the process Supports the wider category team to creating a centre of excellence, ensuring that we deliver for both our internal & external stakeholders Skills and Experience Required Good communicator, trustworthy, friendly & professional Commercial awareness Experienced of in working in a commercial / category environment Preferred experience with various data delivery platforms (Kantar, IRI, Nielsen) and to be self-sufficient for the majority of day-to-day data mining & sourcing requirements Highly analytical & able to distil large quantities of data, information & ideas into key insights & actionable recommendations Organisational skills; prioritisation & time management Strong sense of team working, believes in winning as a team and creating a culture of best practice Flexible in the approach to workload Key Challenges Networking & Building Relationships Communicating & Influencing Seeking Information Organisation & Reliability Drive & Initiative Problem Solving & Innovation Developing Capability