Category Manager, Foodservice - 12month FTC (South East or London)

About McCain. At McCain, we’re feeding the world: from French fries to smiles, we contribute to the important role food plays in people's lives. That’s why we’re dedicated to ensuring our core values—Family, Authentic, Trusted, and Quality—shine through every day. As a privately owned family company with over 60 years of experience, a presence in more than 160 countries, and a global team of 22,000 people, our values and culture are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that we can work together, along with our business and community partners, to bring sustainable growth and positive change today, tomorrow, and for generations to come. Join us and see how you can MAKE IT at McCain!

Why join the McCain family:

• Your Life – we’re here to help you fulfil your potential, flourish, and thrive in work and life.
• Your Success – work alongside passionate individuals who are committed to supporting your career ambitions, drive, and success.
• Your Impact – we want you to make a meaningful, lasting impact for you, for your colleagues, and for the business.

About the role. You will become a trusted Category Partner for McCain’s core categories and for Frozen food. To offer expert advice based on strong Product, Consumer, Market, Customer, and Commercial analysis & understanding. To turn insight into actions which unlock category growth and to work with all internal and external partners to develop and deliver them. To communicate with passion & personality to build strong customer engagement which enhances McCain’s value as a business partner.

But you must have:

• The ability to build lasting long term relationships with internal and external partners.
• A passion for what you do.
• A love for numbers with a hold on driving sales and analysing data to identify trends.
• Always challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries whilst retaining brand integrity.
• The ability to make things happen. Turning ideas and insights into actions.
• The skill to juggle lots of different projects and tasks.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• To drive insight and actions from analysis of market and consumer data (to include but not limited to Lumina, Neilson BrandTrack, Circana) and identify market shifts and trends.
• To ensure both internal and external customers understand category performance and act on recommendations, through regular engagement (reporting & presentations).
• To work closely with the sales and culinary team to drive our priority ranges with customers, improving distribution and ensuring delivery of the commercial plan.
• Build relationships and trust with key customers to positively influence core category performance for mutual benefit.
• Customer engagement through category reviews, product presentations and customer specific work.
• To build customer prospect lists for sales team using digital tools including Salesforce and Pardot and manage McCain’s digital selling tools.
• To execute marketing plans through translation and management of calendar of activation across key customers.
• Be a category partner for a defined consumer segment. This includes providing a category perspective to support strategy development & business planning, as well as delivering NPD through supporting the Gate process, developing a launch plan & selling presentations.

Leadership Principles. Our principles, each with related practices, guide our actions across the organisation. Together, they address how McCain interacts with our customers and employees, and how we work as individuals and collectively to find success. While each role adheres to the Leadership Principles, individual roles may focus more on a specific principle or principles.

• We are customer obsessed. Customers are our starting point. By understanding their needs and leveraging data and consumer insights, we drive mutual success.
• We think big and plan ahead. Through ambition, curiosity, and smart risks, we can accomplish goals, refine processes, and innovate to scale success.
• We bring out the best in our people. We create safe spaces for our people so that trust and empowerment come naturally. Inclusion is about listening first, showing humility, and working together.
• We act like owners. Together, we clear obstacles and do the work that makes us all successful and proud to be part of McCain.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR. If your love for all things potato, cheese and veg knows no bounds and you happen to be in a similar regional sales role within the foodservice industry, then this could be the perfect opportunity. But that's not all. To be our perfect match, you should also bring to the table:

• Demonstrated success in managing and growing B2B customer accounts, ideally across regional or multi-site territories.
• Skilled in relationship-building, negotiation, and delivering mutual value.
• Confident in managing budgets, understanding cost structures, and making data-driven decisions to drive profitability.
• Comfortable with forecasting, reporting, and commercial analysis.
• A track record of identifying and converting new opportunities into sustainable growth.
• Experience opening up new regional routes to market and tailoring solutions to meet customer needs.
• Background working with well-known consumer brands, with an understanding of brand positioning and the added value of brand-led selling.
• Deep understanding of the UK foodservice or retail landscape, including supply chain dynamics, route-to-market models, and distributor operations.
• Up to date on market trends, category growth drivers, and competitor activity.

So, if you're ready to take your passion for potato, cheese and veg products and your leadership skills to the next level then apply now and let’s embark on this flavourful journey together.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Although we do encourage you to taste the goods, you’ll be pleased to know we don’t pay you in chips & cheese. For working hard, you’ll also get a great salary and some pretty good benefits including:

• Generous car allowance.
• Performance related bonus.
• An excellent pension where we will pay double what you do, up to a maximum of 12% of your pay.
• Flexible holidays – where you can buy & sell up to 5 days holiday per year.
• Private medical insurance scheme.
• Optional health cash plan.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• ‘Chips In’ Volunteering Day Off - to make a positive impact to the competitiveness, resilience, and long-term development of McCain communities across the globe.
• And of course, being part of a Global business there are great opportunities to shine/thrive should you wish to relocate in the future.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK… This is a home-based contract that allows you the freedom to work from home, meet and greet customers on the go, and connect with your amazing team. And if you fancy a change of scenery, our Head Office in Scarborough, North Yorkshire will be there to welcome you from time to time. It’s the perfect blend of flexibility and collaboration, allowing you to achieve outstanding results wherever you may roam. Our culture is all about achieving outcomes, focusing on what truly matters. We measure success by the objectives you deliver. It’s about making an impact, no matter where you’re based.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.