Category Manager at Grand Oak Limited

Grand Oak Limited is part of a team committed to working together across companies. Only by sharing ideas, technologies and talents can the Group achieve and sustain profitable growth Keeping Commitment. We believe that following through on promises is the best way to maintain credibility with colleagues, employees and customers Continuous Improvement.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Category Manager

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
Functionally Reports To: Director, Prime SBU
Administratively Reports To: Director Prime, SBU

Job Description

• The Category manager is responsible for overall Portfolio strategy and is tasked with leading the Brand Business Managers in the execution of all business activities as per Plan in defining and executing the strategic direction on the business of tomorrow with close collaboration with other cross functional teams.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Create and lead strategic long-term plan for the development and growth of the category
• Analyze data or insights to determine industry, competitor and consumer trends regarding the brands and category
• Own the P&L of the brands within the categories
• Own program optimization across brands to drive best in class execution and brand growths
• Lead the integration of brand PR in the marketing communication mix
• Manage and develop brand managers
• Build and drive relationships with key suppliers and support agencies to improve pricing, quality brands, and executions
• Lead category pricing, benchmarking, and promotions across channels
• Manage stock and material relationship with Supply chain to ensure product availability meets demand
• Create forecasts for brand demand to ensure sustainability of inventory/materials
• Manage budget development and revenue for the category
• Lead the innovation pipeline in collaboration with the Innovation Team
• Lead the renovation projects in collaboration with the Renovation Team
• Lead material planning in partnership with Supply Chain
• Lead production planning in partnership with the production Team
• Develop exit strategy for unsuccessful brands / SKUs

Key Performance Indicators:

• Category Sales Performance: Analysing sales data and trends within the category to drive revenue growth, achieve sales targets, and optimize product assortment.
• Inventory Management: Efficiently managing inventory levels, turnover rates, and SKU rationalization within the category to minimize stockouts and excess stock.
• Assortment Optimization: Evaluating and optimizing the assortment mix within the category based on consumer preferences, market trends, and profitability metrics.
• Supplier Relationships: Managing and enhancing relationships with suppliers to ensure reliable and cost-effective supply chains for the category’s products.
• Margin Improvement: Maximizing category profitability through effective pricing strategies, promotion planning, and negotiation with suppliers.
• Market Share Growth: Working on initiatives to increase the category’s market share through innovative marketing campaigns, product placement strategies, and customer engagement.

Job Requirements & Person Specification

• Bachelor’s Degree in Data Analytics / Statistics / Marketing or Related Social Sciences.
• 8 + years experience within Brand Marketing (FMCG preferred)
• MSc in Statistics, Data Analytics or an MBA in Marketing or Business Administration would be an advantage
• Self-motivated and able to work to own initiative and be hands on
• Good strategic thinker with desire to make an impact
• Strong understanding of product marketing and good experience in managing the marketing of a product and liaising within teams and external agencies ATL / BTL
• Strong decision-making ability, both in tactical and strategic situations
• Comfortable to adapt to change
• Strong experience in creative/production & marketing processes
• Lots of passion for developing brands and ability to influence stakeholders with confidence
• Team leader with ability to build strong relationships
• Strong analytical skills (IRI / Nielsen / IWSR)
• High level of personal organization and attention to detail
• Autonomy and ability to drive own agenda
• A positive ‘can-do’ attitude with creative flair
• Results driven with strong commercial awareness, including full budget management
• Capable of problem solving in fast-paced environment
• Strong experience in creative / production processes, design and implementation, research and development
• A good understanding of advertising agencies and the ability to plan, measure and execute marketing campaigns and strategies

Key Competency Requirements:

• Creative and innovative thinking.
• Strong business acumen with appreciation for commerciality
• Must be able to manage multiple initiatives with strong execution orientation and proper project management abilities.
• Previous brand marketing experience in an FMCG
• Solid analytical and influencing skills.
• Thorough and creative problem-solving abilities, strong verbal, and written presentation skills.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Resumes / CVs to: [email protected] using the job title as the subject of the mail