Pilgrim's Europe
Category Manager, Category Manager
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Location: Chippenham, Wiltshire
Department: Oakhouse Foods ¦ Commercial Team
Reporting to: Brand and Product Lead
About The Role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Category Manager to join the Oakhouse Foods/Pilgrim's Europe Commercial Team.
This role is pivotal in driving the growth and performance of Oakhouse Foods through effective category management, customer insight, and product range development. You will be responsible for the end-to-end management of the category and product lifecycle, ensuring our range continues to meet the needs of older consumers, the care sector, and NHS customers, while delivering strong commercial performance.
Using category, consumer, shopper, and market insights, you will identify opportunities for growth, optimise product performance, and develop customer-led ranges that strengthen our position in both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and business-to-business (B2B) channels.
As part of the Pilgrim's Europe way of working, this is an office-based role, enabling close collaboration with key stakeholders across Commercial, Product Development, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and franchise partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Drive category performance through data-led decision making and insight.
- Develop and execute category strategies that support sales, margin, and growth objectives.
- Analyse market trends, consumer behaviour, shopper insights, and competitor activity to identify opportunities and risks.
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations that drive category growth and enhance customer experience.
- Own the end-to-end lifecycle of the product range, including New Product Development (NPD) and Existing Product Development (EPD).
- Develop customer-led ranges that meet evolving consumer needs and business objectives.
- Lead seasonal and promotional category activity.
- Ensure products are effectively positioned, categorised, and ranged across all sales channels.
- Conduct regular range reviews to assess product performance.
- Introduce new products that deliver growth opportunities and customer value.
- Rationalise underperforming products to maintain a focused and effective portfolio.
- Optimise sales and average order value through assortment, merchandising, and pricing strategies.
- Monitor category performance through sales, margin, profitability, and customer metrics.
- Support the development of pricing and promotional strategies in partnership with Finance and Commercial teams.
- Ensure products deliver against agreed commercial and profitability objectives.
- Balance customer needs with operational and financial requirements.
- Work closely with Product, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and franchise partners to deliver category plans.
- Develop insight-driven briefs for internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
- Manage multiple projects and critical paths, ensuring successful and timely delivery.
- Support product launches from concept through to implementation and post-launch review.
- Champion food quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction across the range.
- Ensure products meet customer expectations, including specialist dietary requirements.
- Support a customer-first approach to category and product decision making.
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About You
We're looking for a commercially minded Category professional who combines strong analytical skills with a passion for understanding customers and driving business growth.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Minimum of 2 years' experience within a Category Management role.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and turn insights into actions.
- Commercial awareness with the ability to balance customer needs, cost, margin, and profitability.
- Excellent project management and organisational skills.
- Experience managing multiple workstreams and critical paths simultaneously.
- Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
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Desirable
- Experience within food, retail, FMCG, or consumer goods sectors.
- Understanding of customer behaviour within direct-to-consumer and B2B environments.
- Experience managing product ranges and NPD processes.
Why Join Oakhouse Foods/Pilgrim's Europe?
Oakhouse Foods is a trusted provider of quality meals and food solutions, dedicated to supporting older consumers and care sector customers across the UK.
As Part Of Pilgrim's Europe, You'll Benefit From
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- Career development opportunities within a leading international food business
- Ongoing learning and development support
- Employee benefits and discount platform
- Wellbeing support programmes
- Collaborative and supportive team environment
- Opportunity to make a real impact on customer experience and business growth
Our Values
Our Values Underpin Everything We Do
- Availability
- Humility
- Discipline
- Sincerity
- Ownership
- Determination
- Simplicity
Apply Now
If you're a commercially focused Category professional looking to shape product ranges, influence strategic decisions, and drive growth within a customer-focused business, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply now to join Oakhouse Foods/Pilgrim's Europe as our Category Manager.
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