Group Category Manager

High growth Retail/WHL/Trade business the spans the Asia Pacific
- Lead the change, introduce best practice 'category mgt' at a Group level
- Hybrid working conditions, incredible culture, endless career opps.

**What’s in it for you**:

- **To be part of seriously awesome culture - **‘balanced, ’down to earth,’ ‘flexible’ and one that values its most important assets - its people
- **To take on ‘front & centre’ highly influential role**:where you will be the ‘go to’ for all things category, at a Group level
- **Its high profile and highly visible**: this role plays a critical part in contributing to the broader organisations’ strategic growth plans and initiatives and has a cross functional focus
- **Career progression**:In this growth-focused business there are endless possibilities for career growth and development
- **The salary package is highly competitive**:it’s been set, to attract and retain the markets very best

**Your prospective employer**:
**If you love Category Management and being a part of a major transformation, it doesn’t get much better than this**

**What will you do in an average week?**

**Working to your strengths, you will take on a pioneering role within the newly formed Group Merchandise function, helping the business to evolve its Category Management capability at a Group level. More specifically this role will see you**:

- Develop and implement comprehensive category strategies by bringing a category discipline approach to the entire organisation’s product sourcing, pricing, inventory management, product/brand positioning and marketing for your allocated category right across the organisation
- Champion the value of category management and its impact to business results, gaining buy-in and support from stakeholders at all levels across multiple businesses, segments and brands
- Work collaboratively across the whole business, enabling functions and the wider network to implement and manage the Category strategies
- Drive sales of both suppliers’ products and private label brands at above industry benchmark levels and monitor the overall operational metrics of category across the whole business

**_This is a role that will see you working at both a strategic and 'day to day' level, assessing and executing best practice category management and strategies, aligned with the customer's priorities. _**

**Here’s what it will take**:

- **Although not essential, those with category experience in hardware, automotive or other trade related categories from the Retail, Wholesale and/or Supplier side will be viewed favourably.** All category experience, however, will be considered
- **Are at a senior level in your career**: you have the knowledge and expertise to be in a high profile influential role, driving an organisation wide/group level transformation (cultural and category)
- **Are comfortable in a role with little structure and process, **where you play a key role in helping to build the function
- **Are incredibly organised**, have strong project management and process development skills
- **Have a high level of resilience,** patience, professional persistence, and self-confidence (with no ego)
- **Are a brilliant networker** who thrives working cross functionally
- **Are highly commercial and analytical** with a technical aptitude
- **You inspire confidence in an instance**, have a strategic mindset and can ‘hold your own’ in discussions at every level
- **Can independently and confidently** lead, drive and manage negotiations at an executive level
- **You bring a **fresh perspective** and expert approach to supplier relationships, resulting in further opportunities for attractive ‘win-win’ outcomes
- **Are self-driven**, **self-sufficient** and results focussed** and thrive working in an empowered role