Senior Category Manager - Beauty

Join our team and be part of a company that truly lives its values. With our expertise and commitment to innovation, we aim to build trust and make health and wellness accessible to all. By fostering inclusivity and care, we work collaboratively to improve the well-being of our colleagues, customers, and communities.

The Senior Category Manager - Beauty role is a high-impact position central to shaping the future of the Beauty category across the UK & Ireland. With responsibility spanning short, medium, and long-term planning, the SCM plays a key role in developing the Category and 3-Year Beauty Strategies, as well as driving daily and weekly trading activity. This role demands confident, data-driven decision-making across range, pricing, promotions, and planning, with financial accountability for £40-50M in sales revenue. The Senior Category Manager's influence will be pivotal in transforming category performance and driving strategic outcomes.

The Role:

• Develop and execute the category strategy for the evolving Beauty category, setting a strategic growth plan with the Category Director, leading the sourcing and development of ranges that meet customer requirements and company objectives.
• Lead supplier negotiations and joint business planning with key strategic partners to maximize profitability and ensure suppliers meet requirements on margin, marketing support, and delivery performance.
• Work closely with the customer and insight team to analyse H&B, industry and consumer trends, to inform product selection and category strategy.
• Work closely with the Digital team to understand customer behaviour online and tailor ranges, trade plan and marketing activity to drive revenue, conversion, and repeat purchase.
• Continuously review current Category performance across Retail and Digital as well as the emerging Online marketplace to drive profitable growth ahead of the market.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to build an annual 'always on' campaign.
• Maximize the success of promotional activities and new product launches.
• Work closely with the planning team to manage stock levels effectively, working to reduce overstocks and slow-moving inventory.
• Be responsible for negotiating and delivering fixed funding across the supply base, focused on reducing working capital and managing cost to hit the EBITDA target.
• Be confident and motivated to cover for the Category Director at WTR meetings, Strategy engagement & Strategic supplier meetings internally and externally.

Location: This role is based in Nuneaton, and may be occasionally required to travel to our London Hub or to any other location of H&B. We support flexibility and productivity of our employees by hybrid working arrangements with minimum 2 days presence in the office.

The Person:

• Previous experience in a Senior Buying or Category Management role.
• Experience managing and developing a team.
• Knowledge and understanding of P&L ownership & Budgeting.
• Industry experience of Skincare/Haircare/Beauty Buying and Category Management.
• Experience of working with established beauty brands.
• Experience in developing and implementing successful customer driven category strategies.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with suppliers and internal multi-disciplinary teams.
• Commercial mindset with a deep understanding of marketing and sales principles.

What we offer:

• H&B Employee Discount - 25%
• Bonus
• Pension company contribution
• 33 Days Holiday per year (Inclusive of bank holidays)
• Private Medical Care
• Exclusive benefits, free advice and savings from a range of retailers and providers
• Electric Car Scheme

We're passionate about helping every colleague thrive across all dimensions of wellbeing, and we're committed to having a diverse and inclusive workplace. In line with our EPIC values (Expertise, Pioneering, Inclusive, Caring), we embrace and actively celebrate all our colleagues' unique and varying experiences, backgrounds, identities and cultures - I am me, we are H&B.