Category Manager
£50,000 - £55,000 per annum
Full-Time | Permanent - 07.30 - 16.45
Office-Based (Ipswich)
Monday – Friday
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive. If you have a disability or require any adjustments to help you apply or during the selection process, please let us know.
Are you looking for an exciting challenge?
Are you commercially minded and passionate about driving growth through great products? Do you enjoy analysing markets, identifying opportunities and turning ideas into profitable results? Are you confident influencing stakeholders, negotiating with suppliers and taking ownership of strategic initiatives? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can make a genuine impact on business performance?
If so, you could be our next Category Manager.
About the Role
The Category Manager will take full commercial ownership of one or more product categories, developing and delivering category strategies that drive growth, protect margins and ensure our product offering remains competitive and relevant.
This is a highly visible role within the business, working closely with suppliers, sales, marketing, operations and leadership teams to identify opportunities, launch new products and maximise category performance.
The successful candidate will combine strong commercial awareness with excellent relationship-building skills and a proactive approach to delivering results.
About Klipspringer
Established in 1999, Klipspringer has experienced consistent year-on-year growth and now supports thousands of customers across the UK and Ireland. We help food and beverage manufacturers, hospitality businesses and foodservice organisations maintain food safety and audit compliance through our extensive range of products and services.
At Klipspringer, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service, building long-term partnerships and creating a culture where our people can develop, grow and make a meaningful contribution to the business.
Our values of Care, Competence and Focus underpin everything we do.
What Your Typical Week Will Look Like
- Developing and executing category strategies aligned to commercial objectives.
- Managing product performance, pricing and margins to maximise profitability.
- Identifying opportunities to improve product ranges and remove underperforming products.
- Researching customer needs, market trends and competitor activity.
- Identifying, validating and launching commercially viable new products.
- Building and managing strong supplier relationships.
- Leading supplier negotiations and performance reviews.
- Supporting the Sales team with product expertise and commercial insight.
- Managing product launch and product improvement projects.
- Working collaboratively with stakeholders across the business to deliver category objectives.
- Using data and market intelligence to drive informed commercial decisions.
What We're Looking For
Essential
- Strong commercial awareness with an understanding of pricing, margins and profitability.
- Experience managing product categories, product ranges or supplier portfolios.
- Excellent analytical and decision-making skills.
- Strong supplier management and negotiation experience.
- Ability to identify opportunities and drive improvements.
- Excellent planning, organisation and prioritisation skills.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced commercial environment.
- A proactive, results-focused approach with strong ownership and accountability.
Desirable
- Experience within manufacturing, distribution, food safety, compliance or related sectors.
- Previous experience leading product launches or category development initiatives.
What Success Looks Like
- Delivering agreed sales and gross profit targets.
- Maintaining or improving category margin performance.
- Launching successful new products with clear commercial outcomes.
- Building strong supplier partnerships that deliver measurable value.
- Delivering category strategy initiatives on time and to plan.
- Becoming the recognised internal expert for your product categories.
Pay: £50,000.00-£55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Free flu jabs
- On-site parking
- Paid volunteer time
- Profit sharing
Work Location: In person
