Category and Shopper Strategy Planning Sr. Manager

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We're on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company. A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories. Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.

ABOUT THE MAGNUM ICE CREAM COMPANY:

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is all about growth. Growing our business. Growing our customers' businesses. Growing our people's careers. Growth begins with empowerment. So we free our people to be innovative, responsible entrepreneurs, driven and equipped to give our consumers more amazing products and unforgettable moments – and having fun doing it.

With expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall's, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry's, loved in 76 countries, we are the world's largest Ice Cream company leading the industry. We have been taking pleasure seriously for more than 100 years, serving happiness with every lick or scoop of ice cream for generations.

We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen before the end of 2025.

We dream big but keep things simple to act fast.

If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you

JOB PURPOSE:

A critical role focused in the development of sustainable and profitable value growth for our business and our customers through the 5 NRM (Net Revenue Management) levers promo, pricing, trade terms (TTS), price pack architecture and mix management. This role needs to understand what drives profitable growth and how we can optimize it. You master financial KPI's and combined with other data resources you give the most optimal recommendations on strategic pricing, promo plans, assortment & retailer conditions.

This role includes the development and implementation of the necessary strategic frameworks, governance routines, and analytic tools that will enable you to deliver actionable recommendations to drive better commercial decision-making and to be incorporated into Marketing and customer plans with measurements in NRM, primarily maximize our project Return on Investment (ROI). In this high-impact role, you will be working collaboratively with cross-functional stakeholders, particularly, the sales team and marketing team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Corporate Category Strategy

• Supporting the Leadership Team (LT) in the development and implementation of category strategy and business decisions.

• Lead strategic pillars/projects aligned to business Vision and Pillar.

• Support business plans by working coherently and cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Marketing.

• Identify the business risks and opportunities through sound analysis.

Deliver Category Strategy and Investment Optimization

• Lead the national category building plan and trade review cum promotion evaluation for key accounts specific huge investment projects.

• Drive the strategic price recommendations per category, considering internal profitability, price elasticity and external competitive landscape.

• Closely partner with finance, commercial & marketing teams to ensure the execution of pricing strategy is realized.

• Be the single point of contact and partner to NRM analytics group to support the development of pricing tools & elasticity models.

• Bring the outside in, continually push the boundaries of how we invest in the right tools and methodologies so the outputs can inform the correct forums & strategic processes to drive optimized revenue & profit.

• Push the most profitable products (through assortment, shelving and activation) and customers in close collaboration with commercial and marketing teams.

• Define and build a best-in-class product segmentation framework to fundamentally change the way we think about our product performance and profitably.

• Partner with CD, CSP and BB team to ensure assortment optimization plans are embedded within channel and go-to-market strategies.

• Act as change agent for NRM understanding and adoption within the commercial & finance functions.

Manage Category and Shopper Insights

• Collate best practice in the region that translates shopper insights into actions.

• Collate research on shoppers' habit studies to provide insights for our various segment and channel implementations to maximise our growth / revenue and optimize our investment.

• Translate brand plan into category and channel strategy for execution

• Lead annual integrated business plan

• Key lead of category management

Pack-Price Architecture

• Lead the Pack-Price strategy recommendations.

• Ensure the Core of the Core is 'alive' and supports a 'winning portfolio' SKU range.

• Reassure the Marketing team performs price analysis - including 9-box matrix, elasticity by brand/pack/channel, competitive positioning, and internal profitability status, to draw up detailed Brand pricing actions.

• Support Marketing team to track Category Pack Price (PPP) by channel, to perform pack size profitability/positioning (at sales channel level, to overlay on Brand strategies) to propose Pack Innovation actions where possible.

Trade Promotions

• Reassure the promotion strategy is annually defined and monitor as gatekeeper at category/brand/channel/key customer level incorporating Brand Strategy and planned Promotion Budget.

• Support teams to define/update Category Promotion Guidelines.

• Improve the effectiveness of trade promotional activities and investments.

• Perform analysis to review historical modelling promotional activities to draw up guidelines and recommend allocation of trade promotion budget by channel and category.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:

SKILLS:

• Demonstrated knowledge of the market brands, products and customers.

• Strong influencing skills for both peers and stakeholders to represent Category Development needs with Best Optimized Investment.

EXPERIENCES & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree.

• 7 years relevant working experience in Channel and Category Development, Trade Marketing, Commercial Planning, Net Revenue Management / Revenue Growth Management in the FMCG industry.

• Experience in relevant field sales, trade marketing (spaceman) or category management experience.

• Proven accountability and able to focus and drive critical topics and empower others

• Proven skills in collaboration and strong business acumen.

• Demonstrated self-starter with the ability to deliver results in a lean, agile organization.

• Able to synthesize various data inputs to shape strategy and executable actions.

• Demonstrated analytical and conceptual problem-solving ability; excellent oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

• A unique mix of global scale & start-up spirit—€8.3bn powerhouse with an agile, entrepreneurial mindset. We're building a new high growth Ice Cream company from the ground up.
• Career without limits—42 markets, international opportunities, and fast tracked growth.
• A performance-driven culture—Freedom to act, disrupt and grow – your success is measured by impact.
• A company that celebrates joy, innovation, and purpose—We create extraordinary careers, just like our ice cream creates extraordinary moments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As publicly announced, Unilever will separate its Ice Cream business which is expected by the end of 2025. This role will transfer to the new Ice Cream company.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.

For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position

ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?

To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

Disclaimer

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

We take pleasure seriously. Join the Ice Cream team now

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.