Senior Category Manager

Location: Uxbridge, West London
Department: Category - Meals
Way of Working: Office-based at our Uxbridge Head Office, with regular travel to Pilgrim's Europe manufacturing sites and customer locations.

Shape the Future of the Own-Label Ready Meals Category!

Pilgrim's Europe is looking for a commercially focused Senior Category Manager to join our Ready Meals Category team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced category professional to lead category strategy within the own-label meals sector, bringing the voice of the consumer and shopper into the business to drive growth, innovation, and customer success.

Working closely with Commercial, Innovation, Development, and Operations teams, you'll use category insight to influence decision-making, shape future innovation pipelines, and support some of the UK's leading grocery retailers.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver category strategies that drive growth across customers, channels, and categories.
• Provide category, shopper, and consumer insight to customer teams, helping build compelling customer plans.
• Act as the voice of the consumer and shopper, influencing business strategy and investment decisions.
• Lead category reviews, market analysis, and gap identification to uncover growth opportunities.
• Partner with Innovation and Development teams to create a consumer-led innovation pipeline.
• Lead consumer research projects and translate insights into commercially actionable recommendations.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external agencies, retail customers, and site teams.
• Present compelling category stories and recommendations to both internal and external audiences.

About You

Essential

• 4+ years' experience in Category Management, Category Insight, Shopper Marketing, or Customer Marketing within FMCG.
• Experience working within own-label food categories.
• Strong understanding of UK grocery retailers and customer-facing category management.
• Excellent analytical, storytelling, and presentation skills.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and working cross-functionally.
• Comfortable travelling regularly to manufacturing sites and customer meetings.

Desirable

• Experience within the Meals, Chilled, or Convenience Food category.
• Innovation and product development experience.
• Agency management experience.
• Food manufacturing or own-label supplier experience.

Why Join Pilgrim's Europe?

At Pilgrim's Europe, you'll have the opportunity to work at the heart of one of the UK's leading own-label food manufacturers, helping shape category strategy and innovation for some of the biggest names in UK retail.

Benefits Include:

• Competitive salary and package
• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Employee discount platform
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Career progression within a growing European food business

If you're passionate about category strategy, consumer insight, own-label food, and innovation, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help drive the future growth of our Meals category.

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