FMCG Category Manager
Job Description
The FMCG Category Manager owns the commercial performance of assigned grocery categories across ambient, chilled and frozen. The role manages range, pricing, promotions and supplier relationships to deliver category sales and margin, and carries specific accountability for the cold-chain, shelf-life and waste disciplines that determine whether chilled and frozen categories make money.
Responsibilities
Bachelor's degree in business administration, Commerce, Food Science or a related field.
4-6 years of buying or category management experience in FMCG within Retail, Supermarkets or Hypermarkets, including direct exposure to chilled or frozen categories.
Practical knowledge of cold-chain requirements, shelf-life management and date coding for chilled and frozen products.
Proven negotiation experience with local and multinational FMCG suppliers.
Strong Excel skills and experience with ERP category, ordering and reporting systems.
Understanding of waste economics and the availability-versus-waste trade-off on short-life lines.
Requirements
Category Performance:
Deliver the sales, gross margin, commercial income and stock turn targets for the assigned ambient, chilled and frozen categories.
Review category, sub-category and line performance weekly and act on under-performing lines, prices and suppliers.
Monitor competitor pricing on key value lines and maintain the agreed price position for the assigned categories.
Analyze category profitability after funding, markdown and waste rather than on headline margin alone.
Range & Supplier Management:
Conduct range reviews and make listing, retention and delisting decisions supported by sales, margin and space data.
Negotiate cost prices, trade terms, rebates and promotional funding with suppliers for the assigned categories.
Manage supplier performance on fill rate, delivery reliability, quality and claims and escalate persistent issues.
Introduce new products and own-label lines and manage their launch through to branch and online availability.
Ensure supplier agreements, trade terms and claims are documented and correctly applied in the system.
Chilled & Frozen Management:
Own cold-chain integrity for the assigned chilled and frozen categories from supplier dispatch through receiving, storage and display.
Verify that suppliers deliver at the required temperature and hold them accountable for cold-chain failures and rejections.
Set minimum acceptable shelf life on delivery for chilled lines and enforce it at receiving.
Manage waste, markdown and date-code performance on short-life chilled lines and act on the categories and lines driving loss.
Work with Operations and Maintenance on refrigeration capacity, cabinet availability and equipment failures that put stock and availability at risk.
Plan frozen and chilled ordering frequency and volumes against cabinet and cold room capacity rather than ambient logic.
Promotions, Availability & Execution:
Plan and deliver the category promotional calendar including volume forecasting, supplier funding and post promotion evaluation.
Work with Replenishment on ordering parameters, forecast accuracy and availability for key lines.
Agree planogram and space requirements with Operations, including chilled and frozen cabinet space allocation.
Verify in-branch execution of range, pricing, promotions and display standards for the assigned categories.
Manage stock cover, ageing and slow-moving stock and execute markdown and clearance plans.