Brand & Category Manager

Job description

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you. As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits. To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led , resilient and positive to succeed here because we expect pace and agility , we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact Click “Apply” to get started. The Brand & Category Manager is responsible for developing, managing, and driving the performance of the company’s brands (BN, Sultana, McVitie’s, Godiva) and product categories (sweet biscuits, chocolate, savoury). This role leads the marketing strategy for the Belgium market, optimizes the product assortment, analyzes business performance, and ensures alignment between consumer needs, market trends, and business objectives — all while supporting the broader strategic vision of Pladis. Keys responsibilities and activities Brand Management Define and implement the annual marketing plan in terms of product portfolio, innovation, communication, consumer/shopper activation. Contribute to the preparation of the yearly marketing budget. Be responsible to follow up the spendings, making sure you stay aligned with the agreed yearly budget. Collaborate with the Netherlands, France, England and Turkey team on cross-border concepts, innovation launches. Recommend the relevant innovations and go-tomarket plan for Belgium market and prepare the launch plans. Manage the existing portfolio, including the potential updates driven by global teams and oversee the development of Point-of-Sale (POS) material. Implement the annual communication plan (social media, OOH and retail mediacampaigns). Implement and monitor the annual consumer/shopper activations (consumerpromotion, sampling, couponing campaign, Point Of Sale (POS) materials for field salesteam …). Analyse the activities results and take the conclusions into action plan and optimize investments and future strategies. Be in permanent contact with external agencies and internal stakeholders (production, logistics, finance, legal, marketing, new product development). Monitor and analyse brands and products performances. Category Management Analyse Categories to identify the growth drivers. Participate in key customer meetings to share the Category Perspective and insights. Analyse customer performances and shopper data to develop sharp sales argumentation for business review and customer presentations (Colruyt, Delhaize, Carrefour, Intermarché, HD). Guide and work closely with Sales teams to optimize brand plan execution. What do you bring? A bachelor's or master's degree, preferably in a commercial & marketing field. 3-5 years working experience in a similar role. Strong analytical and project management skills and a feel for retail, sales, or marketing. You combine an analytical mind with creativity and present ideas clearly and convincingly. You speak French, Dutch & English. You are a sociable team player: flexible, driven, curious, and a strong communicator. You are proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint. Knowledge of Nielsen is required. Why join us? Join a global powerhouse: Work within pladis, a multinational group with iconic brands and strong market presence. Impactful role: You will directly contribute to shaping the strategy and performance of key brands and categories. Growth & development: Benefit from career opportunities within a dynamic, fast-moving FMCG environment that values learning, innovation, and talent development. Collaborative culture: Join teams that encourage idea-sharing, cross-functional work, and entrepreneurial thinking. Purpose-driven company: Be part of a business committed to delivering quality, delighting consumers, and driving sustainable growth worldwide. pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law. We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business. We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.