Category Manager

Job description

Position: Category Manager Position Snapshot: Place of work: Nestlé Lanka - Head Office Area: Commercial Development Team Position Summary: Reporting to the Head of Commercial Development, the candidate is responsible for identifying shopper attitudes and behaviours across channels and translating insights into actionable commercial strategies that maximize category performance. The role is pivotal in driving the growth, profitability, and market share of the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) portfolio while ensuring effective channel execution and customer engagement. A day in the life of the role: Develop and execute category growth strategies for the RTD portfolio, aligning channel activities with overall marketing and business objectives. Identify opportunities within categories and channels to drive volume growth, distribution expansion, and shopper conversion. Analyze market trends, shopper insights, and business performance to develop fact-based short, medium, and long-term category plans. Develop channel-specific action plans and execution frameworks that support successful sales activation. Manage and optimize trade investments and promotional activities while ensuring adherence to company standards and processes. Build compelling commercial propositions and selling stories for new launches, trade promotions, and visibility initiatives to influence internal and external stakeholders. What will make you successful? Education: Bachelor or Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Marketing/ Management or other related fields Expected experience: minimum 5 years of experience in Sales and/ or Marketing with demonstrable record of success in a customer facing role Language skills: Fluency in English and Sinhala Other skills: Results-driven individual with strong communication, negotiation, selling, and digital skills, complemented by commercial acumen, self-motivation, and a passion for delivering sustainable category growth