Henderson Brown
Category Development Manager - Plant Based
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Category Development Manager – Plant Based
Location: Northamptonshire (Hybrid) Salary: Attractive package + car allowance + excellent benefits
Shape the future of healthier eating in a customer-facing category role where you’ll influence major retailers, build compelling category stories, and help drive the growth of an exciting health-led food proposition.
About the Role
We’re supporting a leading food manufacturer to recruit a Category Development Manager – Plant Based into a newly created growth role focused on leading the category agenda across its emerging health-led portfolio.
This isn’t a traditional Category Manager position.
By sitting at the intersection of Category Management, Customer Marketing, and Commercial Strategy, you’ll become the face of a growing proposition, translating insight into compelling customer stories that influence major UK retailers and drive long-term category growth.
With the portfolio set to double in size over the next 12 months, this is an opportunity to join a business investing heavily in healthier eating, innovation, and less processed food propositions—while helping shape the future direction of an exciting growth category.
The role offers genuine autonomy, visibility across the business, and clear progression opportunities toward Head of Category and longer-term marketing leadership positions.
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Key Responsibilities
- Develop and lead the category growth strategy across Meat Free and Plant Based products
- Create customer-facing category stories, range reviews, and insight-led selling materials
- Identify growth opportunities across range, merchandising, pricing, promotion, and innovation
- Translate shopper, consumer, and market data into clear commercial recommendations
- Support distribution growth, rate of sale improvement, and long-term category development
- Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Innovation, Finance, and Supply Chain teams
- Support innovation and renovation plans through category and shopper insights
- Lead category presentations and support strategic conversations with major retailers
- Monitor category performance, market trends, and competitor activity
- Build credible relationships with customers and establish Whitworths as a trusted category partner
What We’re Looking For
- Strong experience in Category Management, Category Development, Customer Marketing, or Trade Marketing within FMCG
- Experience working directly with major UK retailers
- Background within Plant-Based, Meat-Free, or Healthy Snacking categories
- Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability
- Ability to convert data and insight into compelling, customer-facing narratives
- Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills
- Naturally curious, commercially minded, and passionate about healthier eating and consumer trends
- A confident communicator who enjoys presenting, storytelling, and building relationships
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Additional Information
- Hybrid working arrangement
- High-visibility role with significant cross-functional exposure
- Expanding portfolio growth and innovation pipeline creates opportunities to shape the category agenda
- Potential to become the recognised expert and face of the Plant-Based proposition both internally and externally
- Progression opportunities toward Head of Category and broader marketing leadership positions
Why Join?
This is a rare opportunity to join a purpose-led business investing heavily in healthier eating and category innovation. You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping an exciting Plant-Based proposition, influencing major retailers, and building compelling growth stories—all while joining a collaborative business that genuinely invests in its people and offers significant long-term career progression.
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