Category Development Manager

Location: Woking, UK

Reporting to: Director, Customer Development

£59400 - £66000

Why Work For Colgate-Palmolive:

• Continuous Growth & Learning: Elevate your commercial mindset and digital capabilities through immersive, cross-functional collaboration.
• Impact & Autonomy: Operate in a fast-paced, agile environment with direct accountability for driving market-leading Personal Care performance.
• Global Exposure: Shape the trajectory of world-class brands while accessing diverse international career pathways.
• Our Purpose-Driven Culture: We live our values every day—We are Caring, We are Inclusive, and We are Courageous.

Job Purpose

As an Omni Category Manager, you will serve as the trusted category growth consultant for the Tesco account, working in close partnership with the Customer Development team and Retail Marketing Managers to unlock total category growth and maximize brand value at the Point of Purchase. To accelerate sustainable category sales, market share, and margin growth, you will execute Colgate-Palmolive’s EDGE (Every Day Great Execution) framework and leverage internal AI tools and digital analytics to transform complex data into actionable 7P recommendations. This role operates at the dynamic intersection of physical retail and digital commerce, aligning Colgate-Palmolive’s brand growth ambitions with customer strategies to deliver mutual growth in support of our 2030 sustainability and ODG ambitions.

Main Responsibilities

• Drive Digital-First Category Growth by identifying shopper-led insights that optimise the digital shelf and omnichannel shopper journey for your specific accounts.
• Maximize Category Value & Market Share Performance by identifying core drivers of category growth and delivering data-driven 7P recommendations (People Journey, Product Assortment, Price, Placement, Promotion, Point of Purchase, Persuasion) that optimize total category performance, joint value creation, and CP market share across physical and digital channels.
• Execute EDGE Strategy & ODG Growth Ambitions by leading the execution and tracking of the 3-year Tesco EDGE strategy, establishing robust KPIs across weekly, monthly, and quarterly cycles to support long-term category sustainability and ODG growth targets.
• Advance AI-Enabled Analytics by championing the use of internal AI tools to automate routine reporting and synthesize multiple data sources into agile commercial strategies.
• Execute Omni-Channel range reviews and digital shelf audits, ensuring Colgate-Palmolive maintains a competitive advantage in "Physical vs. Digital" space allocation.
• Manage Strategic Retail Partnerships as the primary consultant for category planning, leading Quarterly Business Reviews with Senior Directors to align Colgate’s brand intents with Tesco’s short- and long-term strategy and build high-trust relationships.
• Deliver Results in Dynamic Environments by adapting customer strategies to rapid shifts in shopper behavior and digital retail trends.

Personal Attributes

• Commercial Leader: Astute business professional with a growth mindset and a proven track record of executing sustainable, mutually profitable category solutions.
• Strategic & Influential: An agile, collaborative communicator capable of selling at senior levels, fostering inclusivity, and delivering high-impact results with urgency.

Required

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 4+ years of category management or commercial customer management experience with a proven track record of driving total category value, market share, and volume growth in an omnichannel FMCG environment.
• High-level Digital Literacy with proven experience using AI-driven analytics tools and digital shelf tracking software.
• Deep category understanding & commercial acumen of retail environments, channel dynamics, category margin drivers, promotional ROI, RGM levers, and shopper profiles to unlock category expansion opportunities.

Preferred

Qualifications

• Proficiency in space planning tools (e.g., JDA/BlueYonder) for both physical and virtual environments.
• LIFT Principle Alignment: "Take Ownership" by proactively using tech-enabled insights to identify unmet commercial opportunities.
• Experience in the UK retail landscape with a focus on Omni-retailers (e.g., Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Boots).