Customer Category Manager (3 Month Interim) - IMMEDIATE START

Known for a strong portfolio of iconic consumer brands and a significant presence across major retail channels, this business carries real weight in the FMCG landscape. This is a fast-moving, high-impact assignment for a commercially sharp Customer Category Manager looking to hit the ground running for a 3 month contract.

The Role

As Customer Category Manager, you will be embedded within the sales function, supporting a key grocery retailer relationship at a strategic and operational level. The Customer Category Manager will act as an internal category expert, working closely with the account management team to drive insight-led selling and category performance. This is a project-rich role with clear deliverables from day one, making it ideal for a candidate who thrives under pace and purpose.

The Customer Category Manager will play a central role in shaping how this company presents itself within one of the UK's most significant grocery accounts, supporting both ongoing commercial activity and a number of near-term strategic initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and refresh regular monthly category reporting, including performance analysis and insight generation to support the commercial team
• Build and manage tracking and reporting frameworks for an active category optimisation trial, delivering ongoing analysis throughout the project lifecycle
• Conduct a thorough post-range review assessment, evaluating space changes and performance against prior benchmarks using existing templates
• Develop compelling category and brand sell-in presentations to support upcoming NPD initiatives, providing the broader category narrative and context
• Refresh and update the category introduction deck for newly onboarded senior stakeholders within the retailer
• Respond to ad hoc requests from both the internal sales team and the retailer's buying team, producing concise, insight-driven one-to-two page category support pieces
• Support listing and relisting activity outside of the formal range review cycle, contributing to the ongoing commercial agenda

The Ideal Candidate

Proven experience in a category management or insight function within an FMCG environment, ideally with exposure to grocery retail. You will be confident working independently, managing multiple workstreams simultaneously, and delivering polished outputs under tight timeframes.

Strong analytical capability is essential, as is the ability to translate data into clear commercial stories. Experience producing customer-facing category decks and working alongside a national account team would be highly advantageous. Familiarity with grocery retail dynamics and category strategy will allow the Customer Category Manager to integrate quickly and add immediate value.

This assignment requires minimal hand-holding - templates and reporting structures are largely in place, so the priority is someone who can step in, assess, and execute with confidence.

Location

Berkshire - Hybrid working 2/3 days a week.

Package

Competitive day rate or fixed-term remuneration, commensurate with experience. Immediate start required.