Current Vacancy:
Category Manager – Heavyside
Location: Head Office, Middlesbrough (with travel to branches and occasional overnight stays)
Reports to: Head of Category
Hours: Full Time / Salary: Competitive
Closing Date: 29th September 2025
About Us:
At JT Atkinson, we're a family-run, thriving, independent builders' merchant with a strong presence in the industry with over 160 years' experience. With 37 Branches in the north of England and Online, we continue to grow, we're looking for a Category Manager – Heavyside to take ownership of this key product category, driving sales, profitability, and market share.
The Role:
As Category Manager, you'll be responsible for developing and executing a category strategy, managing supplier relationships, and ensuring we offer market-leading products. You'll collaborate closely with sales, marketing, and branch teams to maximise commercial performance and deliver results.
Key Responsibilities:
Category Management & Market Strategy
* Develop and implement a category strategy to drive sales, market share, and profitability.
* Conduct annual range reviews and analyse new products, technologies, and trends.
* Monitor and drive category financial performance, ensuring targets for sales, margin, and profitability are met.
Supplier & Market Engagement
* Lead supplier negotiations and manage purchasing contracts, including buying group agreements.
* Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
* Attend trade shows, branch visits, and industry events to stay ahead of market trends.
Sales & Branch Support
* Train and support sales teams, ensuring they have the tools to confidently sell bathroom ranges.
* Ensure all display areas align with company supplier agreements.
* Support sales and marketing teams in delivering promotional and pricing strategies.
What We're Looking For:
We're looking for a positive, engaged, and proactive individual eager to make an impact. Experience isn't essential – we will help develop the right candidate. More than anything, we want someone with a strong attitude, willingness to learn, and ability to drive meaningful results.
Ideally, you'll have an interest in:
* Category management within the heavyside sector.
* Negotiation skills and supplier management, product trends and market positioning.
* Stakeholder management and working across multiple teams to deliver results.
Why Join Us?
At JT Atkinson, we believe in empowering our people to make a real impact. You'll have the autonomy to shape your category strategy, backed by a supportive leadership team and a business with ambitious growth plans.
If you're ready to take on a role where you can grow, develop, and make a tangible difference, we'd love to hear from you.
What we can offer:
We know that our colleagues are our greatest strength, so we've created a benefits package that means we attract the best candidates. From a competitive salary, enhanced holidays, endless training options, staff discount and our annual profit share, all of which are available to all our permanent employees.
* Profit Share
* Car Allowance
* Enhanced Holidays
* Training Courses
* Cycle to Work Scheme
* Generous staff discount
* Long Service Award
* Life Assurance
* Company Social Events
* Free on-site Parking
How to apply:
Please send your CV with a cover email to the HR Team via Indeed.
Apply now and start your journey with JT Atkinson
JT Atkinson is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
* Company events
* Company pension
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee discount
* Enhanced maternity leave
* Enhanced paternity leave
* Free parking
* Life insurance
* On-site parking
* Profit sharing
* Sick pay
* Store discount
Application question(s):
* Please advise on your preferred categories within Heavyside and a brief explanation why?
* Please advise your salary expectations.
* Please give a brief overview of your experience within Builders Merchant and the industry.
Experience:
* Builders Merchant: 4 years (preferred)
* Category Management: 4 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 29/09/2025