Lactalis South Africa is offering an exciting opportunity for a Category Manager to join our team based in the Western Cape. This position plays a strategic role in managing procurement operations within a defined category, focusing on optimizing sourcing strategies, achieving cost savings, and enhancing overall procurement effectiveness. The successful candidate will contribute directly to business growth in the Southern African market by applying strong commercial and analytical capabilities.

This role will also require close collaboration with marketing, sales, supply chain, and key accounts teams to develop and implement category strategies that support both revenue growth and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the procurement strategy and operations for a defined product category, ensuring cost efficiency and reliable sourcing of goods and services.

• Build and implement comprehensive channel plans aligned with marketing objectives.

• Develop quarterly promotional activity calendars in collaboration with key account managers.

• Ensure effective deployment of marketing initiatives to sales and field teams through cycle planning.

• Lead trade marketing efforts, including strategy development, budget management, and the rollout of brand activations at point-of-purchase.

• Translate brand strategies into actionable retail execution plans, with a focus on shopper engagement and visibility.

• Drive category growth with customers through space management, distribution planning, and in-depth market analysis.

• Utilize shopper research and intelligence to support strategic decision-making and enhance long-term customer relationships.

• Partner with the supply chain team to support accurate sales forecasting and help close demand gaps.

• Support key accounts with data-driven business insights, opportunity identification, and promotional effectiveness analysis.

Qualifications and Experience Required

• Tertiary qualification in Supply Chain Management, Business Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

• 3 to 5 years of procurement or category management experience, preferably within the FMCG sector.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret market data and develop actionable insights.

• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel; experience with ERP or procurement systems is advantageous.

• Strong communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

• Willingness to travel locally and across sites in neighboring African countries.

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence category performance and deliver strategic business value in a dynamic, growth-focused environment. Candidates with a passion for procurement, marketing integration, and customer-centric strategy are encouraged to apply.

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