Senior Category Manager - Meat & Poultry
Full-time
Ashford
Competitive
Job Description
Brakes is recruiting for a Senior Category Manager - Meat & Poultry to join the Merchandising team on a 9-12 month fixed-term contract, reporting to the Category Merchandising Director.
The Senior Category Manager – Meat & Poultry is responsible for developing and delivering a category plan that supports range development and achieves the in-year margin budget. This includes range management (including NPD), promotions, cross-selling, customer marketing activities, and pricing. The role involves analyzing category performance, owning category presence in all communications (including online), and enhancing the profile of the category both internally and externally. The ideal candidate will have broad commercial experience within a Head Office Retail, Foodservice, or a blue-chip food manufacturing environment.
We offer a hybrid working arrangement with 1-2 days per week in our Ashford, Kent office. Candidates should be located in the Southeast/London area, with flexibility for meetings across the UK. A full, clean driving license is required.
Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:
* Utilize customer, market, and supplier insights for category performance analysis. Collaborate with the wider team to develop strategies to meet sales and margin targets.
* Review and analyze monthly category performance, adapt strategies and marketing plans to maximize opportunities, and present findings to the team.
* Own and activate all in-year deliverables, including range planning, NPD with gap analysis, and growth levers.
* Project manage the Sysco 6 Stage Category Management programme.
* Run promotions and implement pricing strategies to protect existing business and explore new opportunities.
* Support strategic priorities such as Brakes Essentials, Sysco premium, and partnerships with Sysco subsidiaries like Fresh Direct & Kff.
* Develop strategic relationships with suppliers to drive growth and support margin investments across range, promotions, and marketing.
* Manage the yearly marketing plan, including supplier activation.
* Support corporate sustainability initiatives, ensuring opportunities for recognition with accreditation bodies (e.g., Red Tractor) are realized, and support initiatives like transitioning to higher-welfare chicken.
* Present to and train sales teams on category knowledge and strategic messages.
* Ensure accuracy of category data and content for internal and external use, including product launches, discontinuations, and website descriptions.
About you:
The ideal candidate will be results-oriented with a proven track record in applying financial, commercial, or procurement skills to achieve business objectives such as cost savings or service improvements. Strong commercial acumen, experience in sourcing, category management, and driving sales and margins are essential. Experience with customer insights, data analytics, pricing, promotions, and financial analysis is required. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, including VLOOKUP, formulas, PivotTables; PowerPoint) and Tableau is necessary. A professional qualification in Marketing, Category Management, Merchandising, or CIPS is desirable.
What you will receive:
* A competitive salary & annual bonus
* Company car or cash allowance of £7,000 per annum
* Enrollment in the Sysco Pension Scheme
* Life assurance
* Private medical healthcare
* 25 days holiday + bank holidays, with options to purchase additional holidays
* Discounts on food, cinema tickets, shopping, and cashback offers through Sysco benefits portal
* Recognition awards and incentives
* Opportunities for career growth within Sysco, a global leader in foodservice
Additional Information
At Brakes, we celebrate diversity and inclusion. We value your potential and are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process. If you require adjustments during the application process, contact our resourcing team.
About Brakes:
We are the UK’s largest foodservice supplier, delivering high-quality fresh and frozen foods nationwide. Our 8,000-strong team is dedicated to serving pubs, restaurants, schools, care homes, and hospitals. We are growing and committed to excellence in food provision.
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