Category Alignment Lead

dunnhumby is the global leader in Customer Data Science, partnering with the world’s most ambitious retailers and brands to put the customer at the heart of every decision. We combine deep insight, advanced technology, and close collaboration to help our clients grow, innovate, and deliver measurable value for their customers.

dunnhumby employs nearly 2,500 experts in offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas working for transformative, iconic brands such as Tesco, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever and Metro.

Tesco Media is the ultimate media partner to brands. Built on unrivalled customer insight, it’s a media owner with soul, scale, and storytelling power. Tesco Media helps brands and agencies connect meaningfully with customers, drive creative effectiveness, and grow at the point of purchase.

Through Tesco, the UK’s largest grocery retailer with over 24 million Clubcard households—representing nearly every home in the UK—Tesco Media offers brands an unparalleled view into the motivations and behaviours of the nation. It is perfectly positioned to solve businesses’ greatest marketing challenges, unlocking growth by enabling brands to connect with customers in meaningful ways online, in-store, and via offsite partners.

This is a highly strategic role where you will shape how media delivers growth across key categories—bringing together customer insight, commercial priorities, and media expertise to create impactful, measurable strategies.

WHAT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON

• Lead category-focused media strategy: Develop customer-first, full-funnel media strategies that align with category priorities and commercial objectives, balancing brand building and performance outcomes.
• Act as a media expert and thought leader: Bring deep expertise across onsite, offsite, in-store, and emerging media channels, acting as a centre of excellence and raising the bar for media strategy.
• Embed media into commercial planning: Partner closely with category, commercial, and sales teams to ensure media strategies are fully aligned to trading priorities and growth opportunities.
• Turn insights into action: Use customer, category, and campaign data to uncover opportunities and translate them into clear, commercially focused recommendations that influence decision-making.
• Unlock growth with sales and partners: Collaborate with sales teams to bring media strategies to life in client and supplier conversations, driving investment and engagement.
• Lead key initiatives and projects: Provide clear direction across cross-functional programmes, ensuring alignment and delivery without unnecessary complexity.
• Influence senior stakeholders: Partner with leadership, commercial, and brand teams to embed media thinking into business planning and articulate the value of media investment.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Demonstrated experience in media strategy, retail media, or integrated marketing.
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to link media investment to business impact.
• Confidence working with data and insights to shape strategy and recommendations.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and work cross-functionally.
• Experience collaborating with sales, commercial, or category teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clear narratives.
• A proactive, strategic thinker who thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

We won’t just meet your expectations. We’ll defy them. So you’ll enjoy the comprehensive rewards package you’d expect from a leading technology company. But also, a degree of personal flexibility you might not expect. Plus, thoughtful perks, like flexible working hours and your birthday off.

You’ll also benefit from an investment in cutting-edge technology that reflects our global ambition. But with a nimble, small-business feel that gives you the freedom to play, experiment and learn.

And we don’t just talk about diversity and inclusion. We live it every day – with thriving networks including dh Gender Equality Network, dh Proud, dh Family, dh One, dh Enabled and dh Thrive as the living proof. We want everyone to have the opportunity to shine and perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. Please let us know how we can make this process work best for you.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At dunnhumby, we utilise our diversity of thought as our competitive edge. We are proud of our diversity and committed to making dunnhumby an even more inclusive place to work that we can be proud of. Our diversity and inclusion work is designed to cultivate a culture of belonging, where every dunnhumbian feels safe to bring their whole self to work, where everyone is welcome and we practice what we preach.

We have a full D & I strategy to implement this long-term behaviour change; in addition, we have five employee-led network groups to support colleagues in the areas of gender, sexual orientation, multiculturalism, mental health and wellbeing, and family.