Category Manager: Oral Care - Unilever

Main Job Purpose

• Manage and grow the Oral care category through category-driven activation, renovation of the current core portfolio and brilliant implementation of New Products Distribution (NPD) platforms.
• Achieve category share and profitable Net Proceeds of Sales (NPS)/profit growth targets through the translation of category & marketing plans into market implementation and customer plans (with potential for tailor-made activities).
• Champion the consumer needs and category passion within the overall business.
• Champion competitive behaviour and mindset throughout the business and translate it into targeted marketing activities to grow category share.
• Deliver market- and customer-knowledge-driven input into innovation platform projects and brand planning to ensure the requirements of brands will be met in the future.
• Lead market implementation of those platforms and develop a world-class activation mix.

Job Summary

The role has the following main accountabilities:

• Development of a share-growth-oriented marketing & category plan that seizes opportunities in product renovation, pricing strategy, competitor activities, customer/channel (e.g. convenience format, discounter) specific needs etc.
• Represent product (insights), category strategy and product quality requirements on the cross-functional discounter team

• Develop & lead implementation of activation platforms and ideas based on the category vision plan working with communication teams and agencies for Public Relations (PR) and Below The Line (BTL) for the category.
• Translate marketing & category plan into a business framework and optimise commercial opportunities (identify threats). Feed into monthly, quarterly and annual planning processes.
• Develop and implement a 12-18 month portfolio roadmap including product range & quality, brand build, value delivery for consumers, pricing & affordability, and range extension.
• Proactively feed market, category and customer requirements into platform innovation projects.
• Champion optimal launch of an innovation platform.
• Work with the communication team to ensure a single message is created in line with the category-building communication plan, consistent with category needs.
• Monitor and review the effectiveness of innovation and renovation programmes to inform future plans.
• Ensure continued focus on and support of innovation platforms once launched.

Key Experience & Requirements

• A minimum of seven (7) to (10) ten years of relevant experience in category management in a Fast-Moving-Consumer Goods (FMCG) environment and/or marketing exposure is essential.
• Business Management and Category development experience will be an added advantage.

Key Competencies (SOLs)

• Purpose & Service
• Personal Mastery
• Agility
• Business Acumen
• Talent Catalyst
• Consumer Love
• Passion for High-Performance Accessible, resourceful, and prolific
• Team player with both inter and intra-functional capabilities.
• High business acumen