Category Specialist - Fruits & Vegetables

Role Overview

The Category Specialist - Fruits & Vegetables is responsible for supporting the sales and commercial team in developing and executing business development plans for the F&V category. The role involves setting and achieving category growth objectives, developing customer relationships, analyzing account performance, and aligning cross-functional efforts to ensure market share expansion and customer satisfaction. This is a customer-facing, insights-driven, and commercially focused role that directly contributes to the success of the fresh produce portfolio across the region.

Responsibilities

• Support the Country Manager and Sales Teams in developing and executing category business development plans.
• Build annual budget plans, setting targets for volume, market share, and profitability.
• Develop and recommend category-specific strategies and monitor performance against objectives.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships with major accounts in the F&V segment.
• Use CRM tools to record customer interactions and maintain accurate account data.
• Conduct regular customer meetings and attend internal alignment meetings across departments.
• Analyze account-level growth drivers and build tailored growth plans per customer.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure timely product availability, promotions, and pricing support.
• Plan and manage personal workload, focusing on high-impact activities that contribute to commercial goals.
• Develop and execute marketing initiatives in alignment with the F&V category strategy.
  
  

Requirements for the Role

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Agriculture, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in category management, preferably within fresh produce or FMCG sectors.
• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Excellent analytical abilities and proficiency in using relevant retail and data analysis tools.
• Knowledge of local and international fresh produce markets.
• Exceptional communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Fluency in English; additional language skills are a plus.