Category Manager

Hygiene and health are more important than ever. At Essity, we break barriers to well-being and make a positive impact on people and society. With leading brands such as Edet, Tempo, TENA, Libresse, Okay and Demak’Up, we continuously strive to improve everyday life.

We are currently looking for a Category Manager – Consumer Tissue to strengthen our Customer Marketing team in the Benelux.

About the Role

As Category Manager, you are the expert and lead contact for the Consumer Tissue category, driving category growth with customers and internally. You act as the key interface between Sales, Marketing, and Insights, translating shopper and market insights into actionable strategies.

You will operate in a dynamic team consisting of Category Managers, NRM Manager and Online & Offline activation manager, working closely with (Key) Account Managers and Brand Teams.

What you will do

• Develop and implement category strategies and visions across key customers and channels

• Translate shopper insights, market data, and brand strategies into customer-specific activation plans

• Lead category reviews and range reviews with retailers

• Provide assortment, shelving (planograms), and merchandising recommendations

• Define and monitor category KPIs, track performance, and define corrective actions

• Analyse prices and promotions, and provide recommendations for optimization

• Build strong relationships with retailer category managers and buyers to deliver joint value

• Act as a core member of the brand team (Marketing, Sales, Supply) for Consumer Tissue

• Contribute to the annual business planning process, including category growth plans

• Monitor performance against KPIs and develop action plans to achieve targets

• Bring proactive insights and opportunities based on data and shopper understanding

• Leverage retail (Nielsen IQ), consumer panel, retail data and POS data to generate insights

• Develop reports, dashboards, and category scorecards

• Identify growth opportunities through trend analysis, OOS analysis, and competitive tracking

• Translate insights into clear recommendations and compelling selling stories

• Provide input into consumer pricing strategy and scenario planning

• Define promotion guidelines and mechanics that drive category growth

• Support range prioritization and portfolio optimization

• Justify shelf space allocation with data-driven arguments

• Lead or support NPD launches and relaunches in your category

• Develop customer-specific trade stories, presentations, and launch toolkits

• Ensure successful execution of innovations in-store

• Coordinate with internal teams and agencies for implementation

Who You Are

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field

• 2–5 years of FMCG experience, preferably in Category Management, Customer Marketing, Sales, or Insights

• Strong analytical capability with experience in Nielsen IQ / retail data analysis

• Experience with planogramming tools (e.g., Spaceman) is a strong plus

• Customer-facing experience with retailers (grocery, drug, or pharmacy) is advantageous

• Highly data-driven, proactive, and opportunity-oriented

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills

• Fluent in Dutch and English, French is a plus

• A shopper and customer-first mindset

• Ability to translate data into action

• Strong ownership and project management skills

• Commercial acumen and growth mindset

• Collaborative spirit with a hands-on attitude

What We Offer

A dynamic and collaborative working environment. Competitive compensation package including: 13th month salary, Bonus scheme Attractive pension plan, 11.5 ADV days (full time). Opportunities for growth and development within Essity. The chance to make an impact in a purpose-driven organization

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