Category Manager

A Category Offering Huge Scope For Commercial Growth Nationally & Globally
- Seeking a Customer Obsessed / Marketing Focussed Category Manager
- A Highly Credible Manufacturing Brand steeped in 90 Years of History

I'm delighted to be partnering exclusively with on of Australia's leading manufacturers, with a sole purpose in manufacturing products that help protect and enhance people’s lives. This is an extremely exciting opportunity to drive growth as a Category Manager within one of the largest portfolios within the business, the water transfer & treatments portfolio.

**Job Purpose**:
An ASX listed Group, this organisation has been manufacturing water pumps and pool equipment in Australia for the past 90 years. To support the global growth strategy, this leading brand are now seeking category management capability across their core category of Water Transfer and Water Treatment.

**Role Objectives**:
This role is responsible for the profitable growth and management of the category across mainly NZ and Australia. Using insight driven strategies and action plans that correctly positions the range to align with customer needs, grow market share and increase brand equity. This role will own and drive the “Briefing for NPD” across the region, ensuring a healthy pipeline that feeds an NPD Roadmap which in turn enables the achievement of revenue.

**Key Responsibilities**:
Reporting into the CMO, and working closely with a range of internal stakeholders including sales, product and marketing departments. You will play a key role in leveraging this brands current platform and customer base including the master dealer network to define and grow the growth strategy for this category. As a leading brand this organisation manufactures the best products within the water solutions market that Australia has seen. Category competitiveness, market performance and profitable growth are the core principles of this role.

You have a real opportunity to double the growth of this category, whilst having exceptional resources available to support you, plus whilst working in a highly productive, collaborative and friendly environment.

**Accountabilities Include**:

- Development of the strategy, value proposition, category and ranging plan that will drive sales, margin and market share goals.
- Organise the category brand and product hierarchy including product naming conventions.
- Lead the acquisition, analysis and dissemination of market, product and UX insights.
- Segment markets and target customers with appropriately positioned products and services.
- Benchmark, analyse and report on competitive products and companies.
- Manage product range reviews including gap and differentiation analysis reporting.
- Prepare and lead the category roadmap along with run-in and run-out lifecycle plans.
- Prepare feasibility studies, reviews, briefings and business case proposals for NPD.
- Coordinate customer UAT with engineering and sales.
- Assume responsibility for launch planning, supersessions and lifecycle management.
- Lead and manage category strategic pricing and provide positioning guidelines to achieve share and margin growth targets by region.
- Prepare the annual category marketing and tactical action plan by region.

**Key Requirements**:

- The ideal individual will have a blend of skills, which will include being able to dig into insights whilst being customer centric, have a marketing mindset and a real commercial mindset to see the opportunity for growth.
- The capability to review re-pricing strategies, review packaging and value propositioning as well as reviewing how communications are aligned against the category.
- Open to industry experience within automotive, water pumps, filtration industry or technical category experience.
- Tertiary qualification in Marketing, Business or Commerce related discipline
- You will have the capability to influence change and bring your stakeholders on the journey
- Naturally you will have an enquiring mind and know the technical structure of the products
- 7+ years’ experience in similar role or marketing environment
- Current and Valid Drivers License

This is a hugely exciting role, I'm seeking an individual that gets excited by category growth opportunities, and is enthusiastic to play the role of 'mini GM / CEO' to lead and drive growth across this category.

You will play a lead role, to double the growth of this category, whilst working within a leading top tier manufacturer, that offers a highly supportive environment to operate within.