MacGregor Black
Category Controller
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Job Title
Are you an experienced commercial leader with the ability to shape category strategy and deliver sustainable growth?
Do you thrive on leading high-performing buying and trading teams while influencing senior stakeholders across a complex business?
Are you looking for the opportunity to take full ownership of a major category portfolio within a market-leading retail and wholesale business?
About the Role
MacGregor Black are partnering with a leading UK retail group on the search for a Category Controller. This is a permanent role based in North Yorkshire.
This is a pivotal leadership position responsible for defining and delivering category strategy across a significant commercial portfolio. You'll lead a team of Category Managers and Category Assistants, driving commercial performance through strategic sourcing, supplier partnerships, pricing, promotional planning, and category development.
Working cross-functionally with Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations, you'll influence key business decisions while maintaining a relentless focus on customer, profitability, and operational excellence. This is an opportunity to make a genuine commercial impact within a large, fast-paced, and highly ambitious organisation.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing category team, creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Own category P&L, delivering sales, margin, and profitability targets.
- Develop and execute category strategies that drive commercial growth and competitive advantage.
- Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, negotiating commercially advantageous agreements.
- Deliver customer-focused ranging, pricing, and promotional strategies that maximize value and enhance the customer proposition.
- Work closely with Finance to leverage commercial insight, identify opportunities, and improve business performance.
- Ensure effective supply chain management, stock availability, and wastage control across the category.
- Drive operational excellence, ensuring compliance, governance, and food safety standards are consistently achieved.
- Analyse market trends, customer behaviour, and competitor activity to inform strategic decision-making.
- Influence senior stakeholders across multiple business functions to deliver business objectives.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
What We're Looking For
- Significant experience in a senior Buying, Trading, or Category leadership role within retail, wholesale, or FMCG.
- Demonstrable success leading large commercial teams and developing future talent.
- Strong commercial acumen with proven ownership of category P&L and financial performance.
- Excellent negotiation skills with experience delivering significant commercial agreements.
- Strong analytical capability with the ability to translate data into commercial decisions.
- Experience developing long-term category strategies and delivering measurable business growth.
- Deep understanding of merchandising, pricing, supply chain, and commercial operations.
- Confident stakeholder manager with the ability to influence at executive level.
- Strategic thinker with a track record of delivering transformational change within a trading environment.
Salary
£85-90k
Contact
For more information, please contact Alice Redmond.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills