Senior Category Assistant
£36,000+ plus excellent benefits (Work Level 6A)
Scunthorpe (hybrid working – you’ll spend two to three days a week working from the office, including every Wednesday)
Co-op Wholesale is growing, and we’re looking for talented people who want to shape what comes next. As a Senior Category Assistant in our Trading team, you’ll put the right structures and controls in place across our categories to make sure we’re always working as effectively as possible. You’ll focus on getting the most out of our systems, streamlining processes, and introducing new ways of working that bring consistency, efficiency, and clarity to our team.
Why this role matters
Exciting things are happening at Co-op Wholesale. We’re growing fast, strengthening our offer for retailers, key accounts, and corporate partners, and we need great people to be part of that journey.
By maintaining accurate produce and pricing data, and introducing more effective ways of working, you’ll make sure our partners can fully access and benefit from our market-leading wholesale proposition.
At Co-op Wholesale, we’re committed to developing our people. You’ll play a key role in supporting the growth of our Category Assistant colleagues, helping to build their skills, confidence, and career pathways. Through your guidance, you’ll help shape a capable, high-performing team that consistently delivers for our partners.
What you’ll do
- Manage category administration activity on our ordering system (e.g., promotions, offers, product descriptions)
- Make sure product promotions and commercial terms are always loaded correctly
- Identify and resolve data or system issues
- Be the subject matter expert for category systems, helping others to use them effectively
- Analyse category performance (e.g., margin, WPI, turnover), using insights to highlight opportunities for improvement across trading performance and team ways of working
- Collaborate with colleagues across our Trading, Finance, Compliance, and Marketing teams
- Make sure we’re always compliant with legal and regulatory standards, including GSCOP
- Line manage a team of Category Assistants, providing coaching and training to support their growth and development
What you’ll bring
We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:
- Experience using systems and tools to manage commercial processes within a retail or wholesale environment
- A good understanding of pricing and promotional processes
- Confidence working with data, spotting trends and patterns, and using insights to support better decision-making
- Good analytical and Microsoft Excel skills
- Experience training others in system usage and ways of working
- The ability to put consistent structures and controls in place across teams
- Good communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence others
Why Co-op?
At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:
- An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
- 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
- A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
- 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
- Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
- Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
- 24/7 colleague support service
- Training and support for your development and career progression
- Cycle-to-work scheme
A place you’ll belong
We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.
We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.
We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.
Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion
As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.
