Category Manager (gn)

Our client:

Lotus Bakeries began in the village of Lembeke in 1932 and is now active worldwide in the indulgent and natural snacking segment with the Lotus, Lotus Biscoff®, Dinosaurus, Peijnenburg, Annas, Nākd, TREK, BEAR and Kiddylicious brands, among others. Lotus Bakeries, with headquarters in Belgium, is a dynamic, internationally oriented company with production facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, South Africa and the US, and twenty-one own sales organisations in Europe, America and Asia. Lotus Bakeries also works with commercial partners in approximately fifty countries worldwide. Lotus Bakeries has more than 2,000 employees. By maintaining a healthy balance between tradition and innovation, the Lotus brand indulges consumers with a unique range of high-quality, tasty products. The secret of Lotus Biscoff® lies in the cookie’s unique flavour, distinctive design and delightful crispiness. The unique caramelised cookie flavour has meanwhile also been incorporated into a spread and ice cream. A wide range of cake specialties and waffles are furthermore offered under the Lotus brand name. Koninklijke Peijnenburg is the market leader for gingerbread in the Netherlands and Annas is a typical Swedish speciality of pepparkakor biscuits: thin, crunchy biscuits flavoured with ginger and cinnamon. Under the Nākd, TREK and BEAR brands, Lotus Bakeries offers tasty snacks, manufactured from all-natural, unprocessed ingredients, with no added sugar. Kiddylicious focusses on healthy snacking for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. In 2019 the Group achieved a turnover of EUR 613 million. The shares of Lotus Bakeries are listed on Euronext Brussels. The majority of the shares are owned by the Boone and Stevens family.

The role:

• Continuous development of Category Management at Lotus Bakeries Germany
• Providing category analysis (macro & micro level)
• Driving category development thinking further and translating it into customer relevant recommendations, building trade stories
• Establishing Lotus as a Category Management Partner for the retailers through projects, customer conversations and exchange
• Understanding data and generating business relevant insights (shopper and consumer lens)
• Cross functional alignment with key departments including Sales, Trade Marketing, Marketing
• Development/further improvement of channel/listing recommendations
• Proposal and tracking of key KPI´s
• Ad hoc analysis to support sales/marketing decisions

The profile:

• University degree (MASTERS) in business, marketing, communications or equivalent
• Ideally 4-5 years of category management experience, preferably in international FMCG companies with strong emotional marketing relevance
• Excellent knowledge in supplier & purchased data
• Fluent (spoken & written) in German and English
• Ability to manage cross-functional projects, additional experience in working in matrix organization preferred
• Experience in project management (incl. usage of respective tools and methods)
• Strong analytical skills, converting numbers into insights
• Competent and high interest in market research methodologies (in particular continuous, quantitative research) (Consumer & Shopper)
• Demonstrated personal characteristics to be self-starter, flexible and highly motivated
• Proven team player with strong collaborative approach - to lead, build, drive and inspire