Head of Category Management

Want to work for a global organisation that focuses on health & hygiene? A company where there are opportunities to develop and grow? If so let's talk…

There are many of reasons to work at Essity:

• High reaching starting salary with annual reviews
• Annual incentive bonus
• Company car allowance
• Holidays starting at 27 days plus bank holidays (with flexible bank holiday options)
• PMI for couple
• Pension 10% employer contribution
• Staff product and discounts
• Essity Rewards (online and in-store shopping discounts)
• Benefits include: EAP support service, salary sacrifice car scheme, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discount and many more
• Local community activities and charitable initiatives

About the Role

Essity is looking for an experienced people leader to head our Category Management function in the UK. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an international and innovative health and hygiene company, home to market-leading brands such as Plenty, Cushelle, Bodyform, and TENA. Based in Didsbury, Manchester, you’ll join a friendly, professional, and committed marketing team focused on delivering excellence across major UK retailers.

In this role, you will develop and lead the category management team and activities to position Essity as the retailer's strategic insight partner of choice. You will drive growth in prioritised channels and with key customers. You’ll be responsible for creating and implementing category visions, defining the omnichannel store of the future and executing our merchandising and assortment plans within it. You will also deliver in-depth data analysis and provide actionable insights to enhance business performance.

A critical success factor to the role is leading and developing a team of approximately 6 employees, offering regular feedback and supporting their professional growth to ensure a high performing team.

You will also get the opportunity to share best practices and contribute to cross-functional projects across the EMEA network.

This role is offered on a hybrid working basis—3 days onsite at our Didsbury, Manchester office and 2 days remote.

What You Will Do

• Lead and develop category management initiatives across priority channels and customers.
• Lead and develop a team of approximately 6 people, providing regular feedback and supporting professional growth.
• Build strong partnerships with retailers to align on category vision and strategy.
• Translate shopper and customer insights into actionable plans that drive growth.
• Define and implement merchandising and assortment strategies by category and channel.
• Conduct in-depth data analysis to provide insights and recommendations that enhance business performance.
• Contribute to broader customer marketing activities (with shopper marketing, insights and net revenue management) such as pricing strategies and promotional planning with a focus on ROI and KPIs.
• Manage budgets and ensure effective allocation of resources.
• Share best practices and contribute to cross-functional projects and networks.
• Key member of the commercial leadership team positively contributing to Essity achieving their commercial objectives

Who You Are

So, what are we looking for?

• Substantial experience in UK category management, ideally within FMCG or retail
• Extensive experience in managing groups of people within a category management function
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn data into strategic insights
• Builds effective teams by establishing common objectives and a shared mindset
• Experience working with major UK retailers
• A proactive, collaborative growth mindset with a passion for innovation and continuous improvement
• Effective and engaging communication and presentation skills to multiple stakeholders, positioning views appropriately to win support and convinces others to take action.

About Our DEI Culture

Guided by our Beliefs & Behaviour, our culture is the foundation that connects our history with our future. At Essity, care, collaboration and inclusion are more than buzzwords, they are practiced on an everyday basis. And with a purpose of breaking barriers to wellbeing, promoting gender equality and enable customers and consumers to lead a fuller life at all stages of life, DEI is in our core.

As we work in diverse teams across geographies, cultures and professional areas, inclusive leadership is something we expect from ourselves and each other. In our leadership platform, we express this as leveraging the power of differences. From experience we know that diverse and inclusive teams are key to innovate and profitably grow our business while simultaneously address our ambitious climate targets.

What We Can Offer You

Our purpose, Breaking Barriers to Well-Being, provides meaning to everything we do. Join us to improve well-being for people and drive positive change for society and the environment. At Essity, you'll feel valued, empowered to grow, and challenged to achieve business results in a collaborative and open atmosphere. Innovate for Good|Excel Together |Be You with Us

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Application End Date: 09 Oct 2025 Job Requisition ID: Essity254344