Associate Manager - Category Management

Overview The role is responsible for delivering end-to-end Category Management analytics and insights for the UK Snacks/Grains business as part of the Global Business Services (GBS) organization. Operating as a strategic partner to the UK Category and Commercial teams, the role enables accelerated category and customer growth through high-quality assortment, space, and performance analytics. The position plays a critical role in translating complex internal and external data into clear, commercially relevant growth stories, supporting retailer engagement, joint business planning, and category decision-making. The role combines strong analytical execution with business storytelling, stakeholder partnership, and continuous improvement of Category Management delivery within the Center of Excellence. Responsibilities Category Management & Commercial Analytics Execute Category Management analytics for the UK Snacks/Grains category in line with agreed service charters and SLAs Support assortment and space analysis to identify whitespace opportunities, range optimization levers, and shelf productivity improvements across key UK retailers Support in creating customer-specific growth stories and performance narratives to support world-class retailer engagement and category selling Deliver periodic and ad-hoc Customer Business Reviews, translating data into clear insights, implications, and recommended actions Business Insight & Performance Explanation Explain category, customer, and brand performance by synthesizing multiple data sources and incorporating market context beyond the data Diagnose performance drivers, risks, and optimization opportunities across channels, customers, competitors, and emerging players Provide deep-dive responses to follow-up business questions, creating clear tables, visuals, and insight-led narratives Stakeholder Partnership & Delivery Excellence Partner closely with Reporting Leads, Managers, and Senior Managers to deliver against business partner information needs Manage multiple concurrent priorities, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery aligned to agreed scope, templates, and governance Act as a trusted point of contact for stakeholders, balancing responsiveness with analytical rigor and quality control Proactively identify and flag delivery risks related to capacity, tools, data availability, or process dependencies Process Improvement & Capability Building Contribute to the development and refinement of Category Management and Reporting COE processes, including workflow mapping and bottleneck resolution Drive simplification, standardization, and digitization initiatives in collaboration with global and sector stakeholders Incorporate regular feedback from end users and business partners to continuously improve outputs, processes, and ways of working Qualifications Strong foundation in category management (range reviews, assortment, space planning) and understanding of distribution/shelf KPIs Solid analytical skills with the ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights Ability to manage end-to-end delivery of projects with ownership of timelines and quality Good problem-solving skills, able to structure and work through ambiguous situations Clear communication and storytelling skills to present insights in a simple, structured way Effective stakeholder management, with the ability to collaborate across teams and drive alignment Learning agility with a focus on applying new skills, tools and best practices to improve outcomes

Global manufacturer and distributor of snacks and beverages.