Senior Category Manager

Samworth Brothers Ltd; Leicester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - GBP 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturer in the UK seeks a Senior Category Manager to develop category strategies and own customer reviews. Candidates should possess significant experience in category management within FMCG and be adept at utilizing market insight data. This role requires strong communication and leadership skills and involves site-based work 3-4 days a week. Join a dynamic team committed to collaboration and professional growth. Apply today to be part of a vibrant corporate family.

Benefits

Enhanced pension scheme

Private health scheme

Employee discount scheme

Annual pay reviews

Profit related pay

Training and growth opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant category management experience within FMCG, at manager or senior manager level.
• Strong experience with data tools (e.g. Kantar, Dunnhumby, EPOS).
• Ability to translate insights into clear actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of category plans aligned to retailer strategies.
• Conduct customer category reviews with insights.
• Embed shopper insight into decision-making.
• Drive effective communication with stakeholders.
• Manage and develop Category Managers and Executives.

Skills

Category management experience

Using market and shopper data

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder communication

Job description

About The Role

Join the Samworth Brothers Team and become part of our dynamic family!

At Samworth Brothers, we genuinely care about our colleagues and strive to create an engaging environment that values your unique contributions. We are committed to your success and offer a range of exceptional benefits that we believe supports your life and personal aspirations:

• Enhanced pension scheme
• Private health scheme
• Employee discount scheme
• Experience annual pay reviews
• Profit related pay
• Unlock your potential through training and growth opportunities

The Opportunity

Walkers Deli & Sausage Co is a fast‑growing, standalone business within Samworth Brothers, supplying a wide range of chilled food categories to major UK retailers. With a heritage dating back to the 1820s and ambitious growth plans ahead, we’re looking for a Senior Category Manager to play a key leadership role within our Commercial team.

This is a site‑based role and must be able to attend site 3–4 days per week when required to support collaboration, leadership and business delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of clear, insight‑led category plans aligned to retailer and business strategies
• Own regular customer category reviews, providing compelling insights, recommendations and growth opportunities
• Embed shopper, consumer and market insight into decision‑making, acting as the “voice of the shopper” internally and externally
• Drive effective communication across customers and internal stakeholders, including senior leadership and cross‑functional teams
• Manage, coach and develop Category Managers and Executives, building capability across the wider business

The Ideal Candidate

We believe that success is built upon collaboration and diverse perspectives. At Samworth Brothers, we welcome candidates who are passionate about working together to achieve greatness. As a valued member of our team, you will bring the following skills and experience:

• Significant category management experience within FMCG, operating at manager or senior manager level
• Strong experience using market, shopper and loyalty data (e.g. Kantar, Dunnhumby, EPOS) with major UK retailers
• Commercially astute, with the ability to translate insight into clear actions and tangible results
• Confident, engaging communicator with experience influencing stakeholders at all levels
• Comfortable working in a predominantly site‑based role, with flexibility to attend site 3–4 days per week as needed

We also want you to thrive in an engaging and inclusive work culture where you will have the opportunity to take on personal accountability and take pride in your work. We encourage positive communication, and the building of strong collaborative relationships is essential to every role.

Join us at Samworth Brothers, where you'll be more than just a team member – you'll be an integral part of our thriving family. Apply today and embark on an exciting journey with us!

About Us

We are a fourth-generation family business producing high quality own-label products for many of the UK’s best-known retailers along with our own brands including Ginsters, Soreen, Higgidy, Dickinson & Morris, Urban Eat, West Cornwall Pasty Company and Walker & Son. We employ over 10,000 people in well‑invested modern food manufacturing sites around the country.

At Samworth Brothers we take pride in our family feel within our businesses and work together to make things happen. We can offer you the stability of a wider group as well as the opportunities that that offers if you wish to progress your career with us. We are family and we would like to invite you to be part of that and support our teams in delivering great products to all of our customers.

Samworth Brothers do not engage with unlicensed gangmasters or third parties. Samworth Brothers will NEVER ask you for money in order to provide you with employment. If you are in any doubt, please contact an official Samworth Brothers representative.