Category Manager
Job description
Strategic Category & Customer Management
- Act as the primary contact for sales teams, translating the national growth strategy into actionable customer plans across promotion, assortment and communication
- Define targets, track performance, and optimize execution to drive category and brand success
Data-Driven Decision Making
- Continuously monitor KPIs from Circana/Nielsen, Gfk, and research insights to manage category, channel, and customer performance
- Identify market trends & shopper insights to develop data-backed growth recommendations
Best-in-Class Storytelling
- Develop compelling sell-in stories, ensuring strong customer buy-in through insight-driven narratives
Data & Budget Management
- Oversee local data contracts and manage strategic relationships with Nielsen, GfK, IRI, ensuring optimal budget allocation for insights and reporting
Shelf & Category Optimization
- Lead shelf/category management initiatives, collaborating with customers to enhance category impact
Digital Commerce & Retail Media Expertise
- Act as the channel expert for eCom activation and digital retail media, ensuring top-tier execution across digital platforms
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive digital growth initiatives and maximize brand presence in eCommerce
Profile
- Academic Excellence: A master’s degree in economics, marketing, or equivalent
- Proven Expertise: 3+ years in Category Management, ideally with GS1-certification
- Consumer Insights: Comprehensive knowledge of relevant panel data (e.g., GfK, Circana, YouGov), including the ability to analyze and strategically leverage this data
- Strategic Communicator: Excellent storytelling & communication abilities to set-up compelling sell-in strategies
- POS Mastery: Clear understanding of growth levers within stationary retail and how to activate them, ideally with first experience in retail media and knowledge of eCommerce
- Operational excellence: Proven track record in strategic planning, market analysis & brand growth
- Project Management: Collaborative mindset with the ability to work cross-functional
- Language Skills: Fluency in German (full professional proficiency) and a strong command of English (written and spoken).
- Cultural Fit: True team player, approachable, pro-active, positive and strong communicator
- Insights Ambassador: Great passion for data insights and the ability to persuade others of your ideas
- Brand Lover: Great passion for our brands and categories
- Proactive Achiever: With a hands-on mentality, you are ambitious to take ownership, develop new ideas & follow up to ensure excellence in execution
- Innovative Thinker: Ambitious and forward-looking, you proactively develop new ideas and follow up to ensure excellence in execution
- Results-Driven Visionary: You take an active role in identifying and shaping today’s and future potentials of the business
Offer
- Impactful Role: Actively shape the Lotus Bakeries Germany business with huge future potential and leave your own signature with a pivotal role in the local leadership team
- Autonomy and Ownership: Responsibility for bringing alive our brand vision with a high scope of individual management
- Supportive Environment: Professional working environment with a great interpersonal atmosphere, where collaboration and interpersonal connection thrive.
- Modern Work Setup: A permanent position based in a modern Düsseldorf office with 30 days of annual vacation.
- Additional Perks: Benefit from corporate benefits, team events and, because we love our products as much as you will, enjoy our delicious brands every day in the office — paired with a great cup of coffee!
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