Category Manager

Description

• Be recognised as the first line of contact for allocated categories for all internal and external stakeholders.
• First line of contact for suppliers, internal customers, and stakeholders for allocated categories.
• Own, create, and deliver 2–3-year strategy for responsible category areas that deliver the customer project proposition whilst meeting company commercial sale and profit targets.
• Ensure company policies, procedures and values are always understood and demonstrated in behaviour.
• Be involved in and contribute to ‘non-core’ commercial activities that support development and delivery improvement across business and strategic improvements that may be areas outside of key category responsibilities.
• Work alongside STARK Group peers on Group category initiatives.
• Effective stakeholder engagement at all levels within the company and with suppliers. Adjusting approach, style, and behaviour as required to build effective, collaborative & successful relationships and teams.
• Continually evidence detailed understanding of category performance and key performance drivers identifying opportunities to improve. Generate reports and analysis to make recommendations on Ranging, Pricing, Sales, Plans and Promotions.
• Determined, driven and accountable to take ownership of issues or challenges, continually driving improvement for our branches, customers, and suppliers.
• Negotiate and deliver all supplier trading agreements in line with group goals and initiatives.
• Continually build and improve internal and external stakeholder management and relationships.
• Work closely with relevant STARK UK and regional and central functions making recommendations for improvement and supporting branches to make great local decisions.

Requirements

• Ability to work on own or as part of a team and manage workload to tight deadlines and work under pressure managing multiple priorities and tasks.
• Demonstrate personal responsibility for own and team safety and wellbeing, promoting excellent standards as well as safe and sustainable working practices for you and your team.
• Proven experience of successful fact-based negotiation and delivery in an end-to-end category management or procurement role.
• Customer focused with a clear understanding of company targets, customer needs, competitor landscape and market dynamics. The ‘Company Expert’ and ‘Go-To Person’ for allocated categories.
• Demonstrate successful experience in category management with a track record of delivering ranges that meet customer project needs across multiple product categories whilst delivering budgeted financial results for the company.
• Communicate & present confidently and articulately to board level within the company and suppliers.
• Highly IT literate in appropriate Microsoft and database systems
• Be suitably literate in the Group and UK sustainability agenda and goals and demonstrate an understanding of the impact their allocated categories, both directly and indirectly managed, have on relevant sustainability criteria (scope 3 emissions, packaging, product circularity).
• Strong commercial acumen, analytical skills, and ability to assimilate information into clear actionable insights and plans and able to communicate these plans to stakeholders for effective implementation and enhanced customer proposition.
• Ability to induct, support and coach newer and/or junior members of the teams with or without direct line management responsibility.
• Good stakeholder management with ability to coordinate and influence decision making at multiple levels and across functions to ensure delivery of business plans.

Benefits

• A wide range of voluntary benefits including holiday buying, discounted gym membership, car salary sacrifice scheme, Cycle2Work, Benenden Healthcare and more.
• Retirement savings plan
• Access to a wealth of health and wellbeing services including access to online GP appointments and mental health support
• Life assurance
• Access to discounts with hundreds of your favourite high street and online retailers
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave for anyone expecting or adopting a child
• Generous employee discounts
• Discretionary bonus

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance