With a trusted portfolio of world-class Air Care, Surface, Laundry, and Pest Control products, the Essential Home team's purpose is to Make a House Your Home. Fuelling this newly formed business and leadership team is a diverse and inclusive culture for all. Together, we're shaping a team with a founder mentality: that listens and learns, and that is entrepreneurial, agile, and action-oriented. With high-quality brands such as Air Wick, Cillit Bang, Calgon, and Mortein, now is an exciting time to join a dynamic company full of purpose, pace, and energy, which will create a truly unique learning and career opportunity for all.
Sales
Our Sales teams at Essential Home play a vital role in delivering our purpose: to Make a House Your Home. We do this by building shared success with our customers and ensuring our trusted products are accessible both in-store and online. Operating in highly competitive categories, our Sales function is fast-paced and dynamic, with a strong focus on outperformance across all channels. As part of a newly formed business with a founder mentality, our team thrives on being entrepreneurial, agile, and action-oriented. We encourage cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning, supported by a diverse and inclusive culture.
Joining Sales at Essential Home offers a unique opportunity to grow your career in a purpose-led environment full of energy, innovation, and impact.
Role: Category Development Manager
We are seeking a strategic and commercially focused Category Development Manager to lead the development of category strategies that drive growth for both our brands and retail partners. In this role, you'll be responsible for turning insights into action, shaping customer plans, influencing decision-making, and unlocking opportunities across all categories. Operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, you'll collaborate cross-functionally to deliver data-driven recommendations, elevate category performance, and contribute to a culture that values ownership, curiosity, and impact. This is a unique opportunity to help define the future of our categories while growing your career in a purpose-led business.
* Develop and execute category strategies aligned with brand and customer objectives.
* Lead range reviews, merchandising initiatives, and promotional planning with key retailers.
* Analyse market, shopper, and customer data to identify growth opportunities.
* Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Insights teams to deliver compelling category stories.
* Build strong relationships with retail partners, acting as a trusted advisor.
* Monitor category performance and recommend actions to optimise assortment, pricing, and space.
* Support innovation launches with robust category rationale and activation plans.
* Take full ownership of the strategic plan for your account, driving sales and managing profit and loss elements, aligning with broader company goals.
Requirements:
* 5+ years' experience in Category Management, Category Development, or a related commercial role.
* Strong analytical skills with experience using Nielsen, IRI, Kantar, or similar data sources.
* Proven ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
* Commercially minded with a deep understanding of the UK retail landscape.
* Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills.
* Experience in FMCG, consumer goods, or retail preferred.
* Strong commercial insight and P&L management skills, with the capability to develop and execute strategic sales plans.
Skills for Success: Key Account Management, Ecommerce, Analyzing sales data, Leadership, Consumer and Shopper Insights, Category Analysis, Collaboration and Partnership, Influencing, Consultative Selling, Customer and Channel Strategy, Sales Strategy Development, Product Planning, Business and Commercial Acumen, Sales Negotiation, P&L Management, Strategy Execution, Operational Excellence.
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