Category Manager in Bracknell

Albert Roger Group is a fast-growing health and beauty distributor on an ambitious journey to scale. We partner with some of the most exciting beauty brands in the market and distribute them across Europe into major retailers.

Leading the Beauty category, you will own the end-to-end category strategy and performance for our beauty portfolio across Europe. This is a highly visible, senior role where you will lead a team of four to deliver:

• Winning product assortments in-store and online
• Pricing and promotion strategies that drive both sales and profit
• Clear, differentiated channel strategies across markets and retailers
• High-impact secondary space and in-store activations
• Best-in-class online listings, brand decks and go-to-market plans

You will be the lead contact for our beauty brands and key third-party partners building strong, collaborative partnerships that unlock growth. Working closely with Sales, PR & Comms, Marketing and Finance, you will manage brand P&Ls and marketing investment to deliver against ambitious sales and profitability targets. This is a role for someone who wants to shape the future of our beauty category, move at pace, and make a real mark in a business that’s scaling fast.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, develop and coach a team of 4 (category managers and trade / activation support) to deliver category and brand objectives.
• Set the category vision, strategy and roadmap for beauty across all markets and channels (brick & mortar and e-commerce).
• Own the strategic brand planning for your portfolio, aligning with brand owners and internal stakeholders to drive sustainable, profitable growth.
• Champion a consumer-first, data-led mindset, ensuring decisions are grounded by data and retailer requirements.
• Own all permanent product assortments across key markets, ensuring the right range in the right doors to maximise rate of sale and profitability.
• Lead the full product lifecycle for your brands – from listing and launch through to in-life optimisation and delist decisions.
• Create compelling category stories and range recommendations to drive distribution, space and visibility with our retail partners.
• Work closely with Purchasing and Supply Chain to forecast and manage stock, across active and discontinued SKUs, avoiding both OOS and excess.
• Own the pricing strategy for all beauty brands across Europe, balancing competitiveness with margin and strategic positioning.
• Define and optimise promotion strategies by retailer and market, ensuring they deliver clear ROI and support brand equity.
• Take full accountability for brand P&Ls, including monthly performance reviews, budget management and adjustments.
• Negotiate marketing spend, terms and discounts with brands and retailers to drive growth while protecting profitability.
• Develop channel strategies (grocery, drug, specialty, e-commerce, pure-play) tailored to local market dynamics and shopper missions.
• Oversee the design and development & merchandising plans of permanent fixtures, stands and in-store POS, ensuring they elevate the brand and improve the shopper journey.
• Drive impactful secondary space, in-store activations and promotions that win vs competition at the point of purchase.
• Partner with Sales and PR & Comms to build and execute go‐to‐market and activation plans for new launches, campaigns and events.
• Ensure online excellence: robust product content, imagery, ratings & reviews and promotional visibility across key e‐commerce partners.
• Analyse sales, retailer EPOS and market data to generate actionable insights and translate them into clear plans (range, pricing, activation).
• Track market trends and competitor activity (NPD, promos, digital/media, social, influencers) and feed recommendations into future strategies.
• Act as the primary relationship owner for our beauty brands, strengthening long‐term partnerships and joint business planning.
• Manage key third‐party partners (POS, design, agencies) to deliver on time, on brand and on budget.
• Support and participate in internal and external meetings including retailer presentations, representing both our company and our brands with confidence and credibility.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Significant experience in a category management, buying or commercial marketing role, ideally within beauty or cosmetics.
• Proven people management experience, including coaching, developing and performance‐managing a team.
• Strong track record of working with large and complex SKU counts and multiple projects simultaneously in a fast‐paced environment.
• Demonstrable experience of owning and managing P&Ls, including budget planning, forecasting and delivering commercial targets.
• Commercially sharp with strong pricing and promotional planning experience.
• Highly numerate and analytical, confident using Excel and working with retailer, market and internal data to drive decisions.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, comfortable presenting to senior internal stakeholders and external partners/retailers.
• Experience working with European retailers; additional European language(s) is an advantage.
• Experience in e‐commerce / omnichannel retail activation is a strong plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally as required.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• A true beauty junkie – deeply passionate about beauty, brands and trends, with your finger on the pulse of what shoppers love.
• Thrives in a high‐growth, entrepreneurial environment; comfortable with pace, change and high expectations.
• Highly organised and structured, able to prioritise and deliver across multiple projects, markets and stakeholders.
• Hands‐on, proactive and solutions‐focused – you don’t just spot problems, you fix them.
• Strong influencer and relationship‐builder, able to work cross‐functionally and externally to get things done.
• Ambitious, driven and excited by the opportunity to scale the business.

Seniority level: Mid‐Senior level

Employment type: Full‐time

Job function: Marketing and Product Management

Industries: Marketing Services and Retail