Category Manager: Convenience Retail: World Energy Company

Exciting opportunity for a Category Manager – Convenience Food & Soft Drinks Retail to join this global Energy company for a 6 month initial contract. As a Non-Fuel Retail business, the Convenience Retail Team sources goods and services across a broad spectrum of own-label and consumer packaged goods across 13 product categories. The team has a core offer of products and services complemented with a food-for-now proposition, enhanced with a food-for-later and top-up convenience offer developed in close collaboration with major UK Retailer Alliance partners. To drive long term sustainable growth, the business is focused on developing an ever-evolving offer that satisfies the needs of a diverse customer base. Each service station must provide customers with the best mobility offer and cater to customers with different retail shopping missions.

The purpose of this role will be to manage assigned Categories and/or Alliance Partners for the UK business, ensuring the key KPI metrics are met. Responsibilities include:

• Manage Category performance and P&L against key KPI deliverables.
• Conduct thorough analysis and understanding of the category and market dynamics – measuring the category performance and maintaining an optimal balance between the long-term view and business demands of the annual targets.
• Develop profitable category business plans and ensure all performance levers are optimised (range, merchandising, price, promotions, operational excellence, etc).
• Own relationships and negotiate trading terms with suppliers or alliance partners, identifying opportunities to drive efficiencies and building appropriate Joint Business Plans.
• Collaborate with the global category management team to unlock broader opportunities.
• Develop and implement appropriate seasonal or event-driven activities to maximise incremental sales and revenue.
• Effectively manage relationships with broader stakeholders and teams within the business to deliver against objectives.
• Respond agilely to changing market and business dynamics.

Candidate requirements:

• Experience as a Category Manager / Buyer in a FMCG food retail / Convenience environment is essential.
• Result-driven mindset; able to deliver against or support delivery of stretching business targets.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of sales, margin and profitability metrics, supported with knowledge of factors influencing performance.
• Robust analytical skills demonstrable across different tools with high attention to detail.
• Willingness to take ownership to deliver against targets set.
• Excellent relationship management skills; able to adapt approach to different audiences or circumstances.
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to communicate, engage, influence or challenge different stakeholders where required.
• Positive attitude with self-starter mentality, logical thinking, quick learning, strong initiative and excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills, and the ability to write clearly and concisely.

We believe in equality of opportunity for all job applicants regardless of gender, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, creed or religion, disability, sexual orientation or age.