We Go Places! How about you?Immediate Superior: Category Development ManagerJob Grade: 10Location: GautengType of Contract: PermanentClosing Date: Thursday 28 November 2024Purpose of the PositionThe purpose of the Category Development Specialist is to support and maintain the Space Management priorities for the business. This includes merchandise principles, range assortment, and planogramming across all categories and channels to ensure Heineken Beverages brands are well represented in trade. They work closely with Key Account and Sales Operations to develop and execute strategies and tactics against the category, brand, channel, and account strategies.KEY RESULT AREASSupport the development of Space Management principles aligned to business priorities and brand strategies.Support the development of Shopper Insights by Category and Customer to feed the CatMan process.Support space planning discussions with Retailers. Prepare assortments and develop data-driven planograms in line with business priorities.Ensure a fair and objective view is presented in the planograms that will drive category growth.Ensure that any shopper research is taken into account when presenting and developing the planograms to ensure shopper satisfaction and ease of shopping.Keep the sales force informed on all planograms. Key Account signed off and generics are communicated timeously with the sales force. Assortment and planograms need to be updated at least twice a year or when new products are launched.Design generic planograms by region for accounts not involved with category management & ensure that these are in line with our strategy, both brand & share of shelf.Demonstrate proficiency with data analysis - brand shares, range assortment, space allocation.Evaluate progress on planogram projects to ensure the objective of growing the category is being reached.Analyze EPOS data by Category/Brand/Region/Key Account to monitor performance & identify opportunities in line with company & customer strategies.Deliver monthly Space reports by account highlighting areas of progress. Work with the Key Account managers to assist in developing a plan to close the gaps.Send store share reports to the sales reps to assist in driving share of shelf and therefore enable us to reach our SOS objectives in all categories.Manage all products, store data, and image databases in the space planning tool.Conduct regular store visits, spending time with sales reps in the field.Support with the training of sales reps and 3rd party merchandisers on category flows and category knowledge to assist in securing the correct space and share of shelf in store.EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONSA Degree in Marketing, Business Management, or a related field.Certification in space planning is advantageous. (Knowledge of Dot Activ or JDA program)PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTESMinimum 3+ years' experience within a similar role/FMCG environment.Proven capability in trade marketing, sales, and customer management.Ability to lead innovation by challenging conventional ways of working and thinking in all aspects of the business.Excellent verbal and written communication skills.Strong analytical skills and the ability to interrogate data.Project management skills.Possess commercial fluency and acumen with an ability to apply commercial principles across the whole value chain and take ownership around course corrective mechanisms.Excellent skills in Excel are essential.Presentation skills.Trade relationships, providing objective expertise for key customers.The Company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. HEINEKEN Beverages is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values inclusion and diversity.
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