Permanent Category Manager – Parmalat Vacancies
Job Description
Parmalat Vacancies – Category Manager
Parmalat, part of the Lactalis Group, is seeking a Category Manager to join the team at our Western Cape offices. This role is focused on optimizing procurement strategies, driving commercial and trade planning, and enhancing category performance across key retail and trade channels. As Category Manager, you will play a critical part in supporting the company’s growth strategy in Southern Africa through data-driven decision-making, effective cross-functional collaboration, and executional excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Planning and Strategy
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Lead the commercial planning process by developing channel strategies aligned with overall marketing objectives
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Build and implement quarterly promotional grids in collaboration with Key Account Managers
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Align Marketing and Sales functions to ensure seamless strategy execution
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Deploy marketing plans to Sales and Field Sales teams, managing cycle planning and quarterly updates
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Create and execute revenue growth initiatives to support business goals
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Monitor pricing and promotional strategies, ensuring alignment with category performance
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Apply consumer and shopper insights to drive demand and enhance value propositions
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Coordinate with Supply Chain on quarterly forecasting, ensuring alignment with promotional and sales targets
Trade Marketing Activation
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Develop and manage trade marketing strategies and budgets across key categories
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Implement in-store promotional campaigns and point-of-purchase solutions that enhance brand visibility and sales performance
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Create activation plans to drive shopper engagement and support new product development (NPD) launches
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Develop trade propositions, merchandising guidelines, distribution targets, and execution plans for all NPDs
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Ensure brand strategies are translated into customer-facing plans that succeed at the point of purchase
Category Management with Customers
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Drive long-term category growth by leading the Category Management agenda with customers
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Partner with Key Accounts to conduct regular performance reviews and identify growth opportunities
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Leverage shopper research, market intelligence, and retail data to inform strategic planning and customer engagement
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Support the execution of merchandising guidelines and train Field Sales teams accordingly
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Provide selling tools and arguments to support distribution and product-ranging objectives, especially for innovation launches
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Track and optimize the distribution levels of key value items (KVIs) across major retail customers
Minimum Requirements
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A 3-year tertiary qualification in Supply Chain Management, Business Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
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3–5 years of procurement or commercial planning experience, ideally within the FMCG sector
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Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with a high attention to detail
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Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities
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Project management experience with the ability to handle multiple deadlines
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Familiarity with procurement tools, ERP systems, and relevant technologies
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Advanced computer proficiency, particularly in MS Excel and PowerPoint
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Willingness to travel locally and to sites in neighboring African countries
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