Category manager

Category Manager My client, a market-leading FMCG business with a long-standing reputation in the Irish retail sector, is seeking an experienced Category Manager to join their commercial team. This is a high-impact role where you will take ownership of a portfolio of well-known Brand Partners, shaping category strategy, driving commercial performance, and influencing growth across multiple retail channels. You will work closely with internal teams and customers to deliver strategic plans, identify new opportunities, and bring category initiatives to life in-store and across the wider commercial landscape. Dublin based. Package Generous salary Pension Healthcare Agile / Hybrid Working Career progression opportunities within a growing group Responsibilities of this Category Manager include : Own the day-to-day and strategic relationship with a portfolio of Brand Partners, acting as their main point of contact. Lead joint business planning conversations, presenting clear insights, performance reviews and future recommendations. Chair monthly demand and forecast reviews with customers and internal planning teams. Challenge and refine forecasts based on base and promotional performance, ensuring strong service levels. Keep a close eye on stock health, balancing availability with minimising slow-moving or excess inventory. Build robust annual category development plans that support both brand and customer objectives. Set clear KPIs, monitor progress throughout the year and adjust plans based on performance and market changes. Use insight from data, in-store observations and shopper behaviour to pinpoint new growth opportunities. Shape the optimal assortment and price / pack architecture for each customer, recommending changes where needed. Rationalise ranges where appropriate to drive profitable, sustainable growth. Oversee the commercial performance of NPD, from launch through to post-launch review, ensuring that logistics and availability support success. Take ownership of trade investment for your categories, reviewing spend and returns regularly. Recommend where and how to focus spend to drive a better balance of volume, value and margin. Create compelling sell-in stories and presentations to support the rollout of category initiatives with retail partners. Ensure internal commercial and field teams have clear plans, priorities and targets. Track execution and measure progress against agreed objectives, feeding learnings back into future plans. Requirements of this Category Manager include : At least 7 years' experience in a commercial FMCG role such as sales, buying, category or brand management within the Irish food sector. A deep familiarity with the Irish grocery landscape and its major retail partners. Strong commercial judgement with proven negotiation skills and the ability to build credible, influential relationships. Comfortable analysing data, extracting key insights and translating them into clear, strategic actions. Exceptionally organised, capable of managing several projects at once while maintaining longer-term strategic focus. Energetic, collaborative and motivated by achieving strong results. Aoife Clarke is handling the recruitment for this role in complete confidentiality. Please upload your CV below and she will be in touch should you have the correct experience for the position. For more jobs like this, please visit the Excel Recruitment website. Unfortunately, due to volume only suitable applicants can be contacted. #AISAOI Skills : forecasting category management strategy