Category Manager
24 hours ago
Bracknell
Albert Roger Group is the leading pan-European distributor of health, beauty and personal care products, connecting brands with shoppers across 15 countries. We enable fast and profitable access to over 15,424 stores — from hypermarkets and supermarkets to drugstores, perfumeries and specialty retail chains. Our expertise spans every stage of the product journey — from strategic market entry, through logistics and distribution, to flawless in-store execution. Powered by insight, driven by excellence, we help beauty brands scale with precision, speed and impact. The Role Leading the Beauty category, you will own the end-to-end category strategy and performance for our beauty portfolio across Europe. This is a highly visible, senior role where you will lead a team of four to deliver: • Winning product assortments in-store and online, • Pricing and promotion strategies that drive both sales and profit, • Clear, differentiated channel strategies across markets and retailers, • High-impact secondary space and in-store activations, • Best-in-class online listings, brand decks and go-to-market plans You will be the lead contact for our beauty brands and key third-party partners building strong, collaborative partnerships that unlock growth. Working closely with Sales, PR & Comms, Marketing and Finance, you will manage brand P&Ls and marketing investment to deliver against ambitious sales and profitability targets. This is a role for someone who wants to shape the future of our beauty category, move at pace, and make a real mark in a business that’s scaling fast. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership & Strategy • Lead, develop and coach a team of 4 to deliver category and brand objectives., • Set the category vision, strategy and roadmap for beauty across all markets and channels, • Own the strategic brand planning for your portfolio, aligning with brand owners and internal stakeholders to drive sustainable, profitable growth., • Champion a consumer-first, data-led mindset, ensuring decisions are grounded by data and retailer requirements. Category Management & Assortment • Own all permanent product assortments across key markets, ensuring the right range in the right doors to maximise rate of sale and profitability., • Lead the full product lifecycle for your brands – from listing and launch through to in-life optimisation and delist decisions., • Create compelling category stories and range recommendations to drive distribution, space and visibility with our retail partners., • Work closely with Purchasing and Supply Chain to forecast and manage stock, across active and discontinued SKUs, avoiding both OOS and excess. Pricing, Promotions & Commercials • Own the pricing strategy for all beauty brands across Europe, balancing competitiveness with margin and strategic positioning., • Define and optimise promotion strategies by retailer and market, ensuring they deliver clear ROI and support brand equity., • Take full accountability for brand P&Ls, including monthly performance reviews, budget management and adjustments., • Negotiate marketing spend, terms and discounts with brands and retailers to drive growth while protecting profitability. Channel, Retail & Digital Activation • Develop channel strategies (grocery, drug, specialty, e-commerce, pure-play) tailored to local market dynamics and shopper missions., • Oversee the design and development & merchandising plans of permanent fixtures, stands and in-store POS, ensuring they elevate the brand and improve the shopper journey., • Drive impactful secondary space, in-store activations and promotions that win vs competition at the point of purchase., • Partner with Sales and PR to build and execute go-to-market and activation plans for new launches, campaigns and events., • Ensure online excellence: robust product content, imagery, ratings & reviews and promotional visibility across key e-commerce partners. Insights, Partnerships & Growth • Analyse sales, retailer EPOS and market data to generate actionable insights and translate them into clear plans (range, pricing, activation)., • Track market trends and competitor activity (NPD, promos, digital/media, social, influencers) and feed recommendations into future strategies., • Act as the primary relationship owner for our beauty brands, strengthening long-term partnerships and joint business planning., • Manage key third-party partners (POS, design, agencies) to deliver on time, on brand and on budget., • Support and participate in internal and external meetings including retailer presentations, representing both our company and our brands with confidence and credibility. Skills & Experience • Significant experience in a category management, buying or commercial marketing role, ideally within beauty or cosmetics., • Proven people management experience, including coaching, developing and performance-managing a team., • Strong track record of working with large and complex SKU counts and multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment., • Demonstrable experience of owning and managing P&Ls, including budget planning, forecasting and delivering commercial targets., • Commercially sharp with strong pricing and promotional planning experience., • Highly numerate and analytical, confident using Excel and working with retailer, market and internal data to drive decisions., • Excellent presentation and communication skills, comfortable presenting to senior internal stakeholders and external partners/retailers., • Experience working with European retailers; additional European language(s) is an advantage., • Experience in e-commerce / omnichannel retail activation is a strong plus. About You • A true beauty enthusiast – deeply passionate about beauty, brands and trends, with your finger on the pulse of what shoppers love., • Thrives in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment; comfortable with pace, change and high expectations., • Highly organised and structured, able to prioritise and deliver across multiple projects, markets and stakeholders., • Hands-on, proactive and solutions-focused – you don’t just spot problems, you fix them., • Strong influencer and relationship-builder, able to work cross-functionally and externally to get things done., • Ambitious, driven and excited by the opportunity to scale the business Why Join Us At Albert Roger, you’ll be part of a team that combines deep market knowledge, operational excellence, and a passion for beauty retail. You’ll help brands, from global names to rising stars to scale across Europe with precision and speed.