Senior Category & Trade Marketing Manager (Beauty) in Bracknell

Albert Roger Group is one of Europe’s leading Beauty & Personal Care distributors, partnering with globally recognised brands and emerging innovators to accelerate growth across 15 European markets. As our business continues to scale, we are looking for an experienced Senior Category Manager to lead commercial category strategy across a portfolio of Beauty brands—driving sustainable growth across retail and ecommerce channels while leading and developing junior team members within the function. This is a highly commercial and strategic role suited to someone who thrives in fast‑paced retail environments, understands the complexity of multi‑market category management, and is passionate about delivering exceptional execution across every customer touchpoint.

Role Purpose

The Senior Category Manager is responsible for leading the commercial category strategy across assigned Beauty or Personal Care brands and categories within Albert Roger Group. The role is accountable for translating global brand strategy into local commercial growth plans, delivering category growth through assortment management, retailer activation, pricing strategy, and execution excellence across retail and ecommerce channels. The Senior Category Manager works cross‑functionally with Commercial, Ecommerce, Data & Digital, Supply Chain, and Brand teams to drive sustainable sell‑out growth, maximise retailer performance, and ensure best‑in‑class execution across all customer touchpoints. The role also plays a key part in developing scalable commercial processes, category models, and ways of working as the business continues to grow across Europe.

Key Responsibilities

• Category Strategy & Commercial Planning
  • Develop and manage category growth strategies aligned to company commercial objectives
  • Translate brand priorities into local market activation and retailer plans
  • Build and maintain 12‑month category and activation roadmaps
  • Support Joint Business Planning (JBP) with key retail partners
  • Identify category growth opportunities using market, retailer, and consumer insights
  • Support new brand launches and retailer listing strategies
  • Lead customer meetings, retailer presentations, and store visits to strengthen understanding of shopper behaviour, customer needs, and retail execution opportunities
  • Build strong relationships with retail partners and use in‑store observations and customer feedback to support category strategy and commercial decision making
• Assortment & Product Lifecycle Management
  • Manage permanent and promotional assortments across retail and ecommerce channels
  • Lead assortment reviews including SKU introductions, rationalisation, and delist proposals
  • Develop pricing strategies aligned to market conditions, retailer positioning, and profitability objectives
  • Monitor product lifecycle performance and recommend commercial actions where required
  • Work alongside Supply Chain and Purchasing teams to support forecasting and stock planning on activations and NPD launches specifically
• Retail & Ecommerce Activation
  • Lead execution of retailer activation plans across launches, promotions, secondary space, and in‑store visibility
  • Oversee development of point of sale materials, launch toolkits, merchandising guidelines, and retailer assets
  • Ensure consistency and quality of retail and online execution across all channels
  • Work closely with Ecommerce teams to support digital activation and online growth initiatives
  • Support retailer presentations, category reviews, and customer planning meetings
  • Conduct regular store visits and retailer reviews to assess execution standards, identify opportunities, and gather shopper insights
  • Lead preparation and delivery of customer presentations, category sell‑ins, and retailer activation proposals
• Data, Insights & Performance Management
  • Analyse sales performance, market data, retailer insights, and competitor activity
  • Generate recommendations to improve category performance, assortment productivity, and sell‑out growth
  • Monitor ROI of trade investment and activation activity
  • Support development of standardised reporting, category tools, and performance tracking models
  • Utilise AI and digital tools to improve efficiency, reporting, and insight generation
• Brand & Cross‑Functional Collaboration
  • Build strong working relationships with brand partners and internal stakeholders
  • Ensure alignment between brand strategy, retailer requirements, and commercial execution
  • Support onboarding and integration of new brands into the business
  • Support development, coaching, and management of junior team members within the Category and Trade Marketing function

Scope of Role

• Ownership of the Beauty categories across European markets
• Responsibility for category growth planning and execution
• Cross‑functional coordination across Commercial, Ecommerce, Data, and Supply Chain teams
• Support of retailer relationships and activation planning
• Contribution to company growth strategy and scalable operating models
• Leadership and development of junior team members within the function

Skills & Experience

• Experience within Category Management, Trade Marketing, Buying, or Commercial roles within Beauty or Cosmetics
• Strong commercial and analytical capability
• Experience managing assortments, pricing, launches, and retailer activation
• Strong understanding of retail and ecommerce environments
• Ability to analyse data and convert insights into commercial actions
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint capability
• Experience working with multiple brands and large SKU portfolios
• Ability to work cross‑functionally within a fast‑paced business environment
• Confident presenting to customers and senior stakeholders
• Strong understanding of shopper behaviour, retail environments, and in‑store execution excellence
• Experience leading customer presentations, category reviews, and retailer engagement initiatives
• Willingness to travel for customer meetings, retailer visits, and market reviews where required
• Fluent English required; additional European languages advantageous

Why Join Albert Roger Group?

At Albert Roger, you’ll join a business that combines entrepreneurial energy with deep expertise in beauty retail and distribution. We partner with some of the industry’s most exciting brands — helping them grow faster, smarter, and more effectively across Europe. You’ll have the opportunity to make a visible commercial impact within a growing international business while working alongside talented teams who are passionate about beauty, innovation, and operational excellence.

Benefits

• Flexible working hours
• Healthcare plan
• Modern office facilities with café & spacious breakout areas
• Free onsite gym, paddle tennis & parking
• Exposure to leading international beauty brands and European retail markets
• Genuine opportunity to influence category strategy and business growth