Category Strategy Lead

About the role;

As the Category Strategy Lead you will be part of the Category Development and Shopper Marketing team, which forms part of the wider Sales function.

Reporting to the Demand Accelerator Controller, this role is responsible for delivering best in class category leadership for JDE UK. Category Strategy Lead must have full understanding of their category and wider FMCG/CPG categories in order to create compelling actionable solutions at the point of purchase that will captivate our customers and grow category sales for the mutual benefit of both JDE and the customer.

This role is key in developing and embedding critical strategic category initiatives such as Perfect Store, Category Vision and Shelf of the Future.  This role will also ensure that our planning, execution and tracking / evaluation is done through a category / customer lens. This role will be responsible for creating sub-category strategies which the customer category managers will tailor and execute in their customers.

This role is a key influencer involved in both the annual planning and monthly performance cycle ensuring performance insights are turned into actions to deliver our AOP target – collaboration / communication between sales and marketing is key.

This role  requires a keen and detailed ability to acquire relevant category data and apply critical thinking and data analysis to generate leading-edge actionable insights and a strong customer facing story, told in a simple and compelling way.

Responsibilities;

• Articulate key market, customer, category, and consumer/shopper insights to form a compelling Category Vision for business development over variable time horizons
• Create shopper-based strategies and tactics that show an in-depth understanding of the principles of both mental and physical availability. Leverage relevant sales drivers and utilize research, best practices, processes and tools such as the Shopper Decision Tree, portfolio analysis, retail price analysis, etc.
• Foster and utilize partnership with the local CMI team to bring together shopper and consumer understanding and knowledge throughout the organization.
• Utilize understanding of competitive landscape to predict ‘competition’s next steps’ and minimize risk to our business and the category
• Outline opportunities/knowledge gaps in marketing and category-related understanding with a view to addressing these gaps, including relevant research
• Set Perfect Store vision, product distribution & placement targets by channel, customer and/or format using priority lists, efficient product assortment processes and other such tools based upon sales performance, profitability and shopper insights. Lead Perfect store reporting, action planning & embedding internally.
• Actively involved in the Joint Business Planning process, the creation of category goals, and the development of strategies and tactics which will drive the attainment of these goals.
• Actively partner with Sales and Marketing to effectively leverage, communicate and weave developed insights into business/customer plans, strategies and communications to create competitive advantage and drive sound decision making
• Create, execute and keep up to date sub-category strategies for: Instant, Mixes / Specialities, Beans, Roast and Ground (including Beans) and Single Serve (Capsules and Pods), to be tailored by customer by the Category Development managers.
• Evaluate and make recommendations for the use of data sources, data systems and category tools on behalf of the organization. Responsible for managing / updating all internal reports (with the support of the intern) – ensuring reports are fit for purpose, updated on time and reviewed for usage regularly
• Lead Input into innovation business cases and sell ins through collaboration with marketing and category development managers.
• Support marketing and the Demand Accelerator Controller with the innovation / NPD go to market process and tracking.
• Lead from Category perspective preparation for the AOP developing a structure/ templates, for efficiency.
• Work with the Shopper Marketing Lead to take the insights from any shopper marketing research and incorporate them into the category vision and sub-category strategies.