Category Development Manager (FMCG)

Location: Taguig City
Work Set-up: Fully Onsite
Work Schedule: Dayshift | Monday - Friday

Job Description

The Category Development Manager is responsible for driving the growth, profitability, and long-term strategy of assigned product categories within the business. The role focuses on analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, sales performance, and competitive activity to identify opportunities that strengthen category performance and support overall commercial objectives.

The position leads category planning initiatives, supports innovation and product expansion projects, and works cross-functionally to ensure effective execution of business strategies across channels and regions. The role also oversees category performance monitoring, financial management, and stakeholder alignment to ensure sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute category growth strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Lead annual business planning and long-term category roadmap development.
• Analyze category performance, market trends, shopper insights, and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.
• Recommend strategic initiatives to improve sales, profitability, market share, and category health.
• Support pricing, portfolio, and pack architecture strategies in collaboration with commercial teams.
• Monitor category KPIs and recommend action plans based on performance insights.

Product Innovation & Launch Management

• Lead the planning and execution of new product launches and category expansion initiatives.
• Build business cases and commercial recommendations for innovation projects.
• Coordinate with internal teams to ensure product launch readiness across Supply Chain, Marketing, Sales, and Operations.
• Develop launch plans, sales materials, and commercialization strategies for new products.
• Monitor post-launch performance and recommend optimization initiatives.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Manage category financial performance, including revenue, profitability, and investment optimization.
• Support forecasting and demand planning activities using sales and market data.
• Identify key commercial levers to drive category performance across channels and regions.
• Ensure effective use of resources and trade investments to maximize business impact.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, and other stakeholders to align category priorities and execution plans.
• Facilitate regular business reviews and planning discussions to support strategic decision-making.
• Align local category initiatives with broader commercial and organizational priorities.
• Influence stakeholders and leadership teams to gain support for category strategies and initiatives.

Market & Performance Analysis

• Conduct regular reviews of sales trends, regional performance, channel dynamics, and consumer behavior.
• Track product and category performance to identify risks and opportunities.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations through data-driven analysis and presentations.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen category competitiveness and execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Management, Economics, or a related field.
• At least 10+ years of experience in FMCG, preferably in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Commercial Strategy, or Customer Development.
• Strong background in category analysis, product launches, and commercial planning.
• Experience handling cross-functional projects and stakeholder management.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills.