Category Manager – Marketing

Job Description: Category Manager – Marketing

Role Purpose

The Product Category manager is responsible for developing and executing the marketing strategy for the Fencing, Furniture & Features product portfolios. The role drives category growth, value creation, brand positioning and commercial performance by delivering insight-led marketing plans, collaborating closely with supply chain/operations, marketing operations, and of course sales & commercial teams, and ensuring a strong, consistent value proposition across all channels.

As Category Manager you will lead the strategic direction for the category within the Origin Landscapes division.  Through a deep understand of the Market, Customers and System Technologies you will successfully manage the Category across the disciplines of Supplier Management, New Product Innovation, Technical Support and Sales & Margin optimisation.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Planning

• Create, own, drive and deliver the marketing strategy and annual plan for the Fencing, Furniture & Features product categories.
• Develop clear category positioning and messaging aligned to customer needs and business objectives
• Translate business goals into actionable marketing plans and campaigns
• Manage category marketing budgets and forecast spend effectively

Campaign Management

• Lead the planning and execution of integrated marketing campaigns across digital and offline channels
• Work closely with internal teams and agencies to deliver high-quality campaign assets
• Ensure campaigns are delivered on time and to agreed objectives

Market & Customer Insight

• Analyse market trends, customer insights and competitor activity to inform the category and market sector strategy
• Use data and performance metrics to optimise campaigns and recommend improvements
• Identify growth opportunities within the category both in terms of market and market share growth

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Working

• Partner with product development, sales, commercial and supply chain teams to support product launches and lifecycle management
• Provide category expertise and marketing guidance to internal stakeholders
• Support sales teams with tools, training and materials aligned to the category strategy

Brand & Performance Management

• Define, Develop and Deliver a market-leading Customer Proposition for the product portfolio.
• Deliver the overall Category Sales and Magin performance to exceed budget through guiding and supporting the sales team activity by segment and channel including where necessary joint customer visits, supporting key projects and new prospect accounts.
• Ensure all category marketing activity aligns with overall brand guidelines
• Monitor and report on category performance against KPIs
• Continuously test, learn and refine marketing activity to drive ROI
• Assess market trends, competitor activity, and legislative changes to identify NPD opportunities and manage the product lifecycle from cradle to grave.
• Work closely with the Procurement team to manage existing and new suppliers to optimise commercial returns, negotiate purchase pricing and maintain a cost-efficient supply chain.
• Develop and maintain supplier relationships in terms of technical exchange, production, supply, and quality standards.
• Develop a coordinated, strategic approach for the category product portfolio through collaboration across Origin Landscapes.
• Provide technical education internally and externally, strengthening relationships with customers and sales teams.
• Drive the Specification Strategy for the category and wider ranges to measure successful conversion of opportunities in conjunction with the specification team.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in a marketing manager or category marketing role
• Experience developing and delivering category or product marketing strategies
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to use insight and data
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Strong project management and organisational skills

Desirable

• Experience within a related product or technical category
• Experience working cross-functionally with sales and product teams
• Knowledge of digital marketing platforms and analytics
• Applicants should be able to easily commute to either Knaresbrough or Snitterby

Qualifications

Degree or equivalent experience in Marketing, Business or a related discipline (desirable).