Job Description:
Ready to define the future of snacking? Shape the roadmap and lead the category strategy for our iconic Mars Snacking DACH portfolio.
What would be your key responsibilities?
Translate the global category strategy into a locally relevant vision and growth agenda.
Develop insight-led category strategies and solutions that drive shopper engagement and sustainable business growth.
Lead and develop a high-performing team of min. 4 associates, fostering collaboration, capability building and continuous improvement.
Identify category, customer and channel opportunities through data, insights and market trends.
Partner with commercial and cross-functional teams to embed category strategies into customer plans and activations.
Drive excellence in retail execution through clear priorities, performance tracking and best-practice frameworks.
Champion the use of data, analytics and AI-enabled solutions to improve category performance and decision-making.
Influence senior stakeholders across local, regional and global teams to advance the category growth agenda.
What are we looking for?
Extensive FMCG/CPG experience with a strong background in category strategy/management, commercial strategy or related functions.
Proven experience in senior category strategy/leadership and people management roles.
Demonstrated ability to build, develop and lead high-performing teams.
Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate insights into action.
Experience driving business transformation, change initiatives and continuous improvement programmes.
Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across diverse functions and organisational levels.
Strong commercial acumen and sound business judgement.
Experience developing customer-centric category solutions and delivering sustainable business growth.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, complex and evolving environment.
Fluency in German and English, both written and spoken.
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
#LI-SS2
Skills Required
- Extensive FMCG/CPG experience in category strategy or commercial strategy
- Proven senior category strategy/leadership experience and people management
- Experience building, developing and leading high-performing teams
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking with ability to translate insights into action
- Experience driving business transformation, change initiatives and continuous improvement
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across functions and levels
- Strong commercial acumen and sound business judgement
- Experience developing customer-centric category solutions that drive sustainable growth
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, complex and evolving environment
- Fluency in German and English, written and spoken
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
