Category Manager - Beauty

Albert Roger Group is the leading pan-European distributor of health, beauty and personal care products, connecting brands with shoppers across 15 countries. Our expertise spans every stage of the product journey — from strategic market entry, through logistics and distribution, to flawless in-store execution. Powered by insight, driven by excellence, we help beauty brands scale with precision, speed and impact.

The Role

Leading the Beauty category, you will own the end-to-end category strategy and performance for our beauty portfolio across Europe. This is a highly visible, senior role where you will lead a team of four to deliver:

• Winning product assortments in-store and online
• Pricing and promotion strategies that drive both sales and profit
• Clear, differentiated channel strategies across markets and retailers
• High-impact secondary space and in-store activations
• Best-in-class online listings, brand decks and go-to-market plans

You will be the lead contact for our beauty brands and key third-party partners building strong, collaborative partnerships that unlock growth. Working closely with Sales, PR & Comms, Marketing and Finance, you will manage brand P&Ls and marketing investment to deliver against ambitious sales and profitability targets.

This is a role for someone who wants to shape the future of our beauty category, move at pace, and make a real mark in a business that’s scaling fast.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, develop and coach a team of 4 to deliver category and brand objectives.
• Set the category vision, strategy and roadmap for beauty across all markets and channels
• Own the strategic brand planning for your portfolio, aligning with brand owners and internal stakeholders to drive sustainable, profitable growth.
• Champion a consumer-first, data-led mindset, ensuring decisions are grounded by data and retailer requirements.

Category Management & Assortment

• Own all permanent product assortments across key markets, ensuring the right range in the right doors to maximise rate of sale and profitability.
• Lead the full product lifecycle for your brands – from listing and launch through to in-life optimisation and delist decisions.
• Create compelling category stories and range recommendations to drive distribution, space and visibility with our retail partners.
• Work closely with Purchasing and Supply Chain to forecast and manage stock, across active and discontinued SKUs, avoiding both OOS and excess.

Pricing, Promotions & Commercials

• Own the pricing strategy for all beauty brands across Europe, balancing competitiveness with margin and strategic positioning.
• Define and optimise promotion strategies by retailer and market, ensuring they deliver clear ROI and support brand equity.
• Take full accountability for brand P&Ls, including monthly performance reviews, budget management and adjustments.
• Negotiate marketing spend, terms and discounts with brands and retailers to drive growth while protecting profitability.

Channel, Retail & Digital Activation

• Develop channel strategies (grocery, drug, specialty, e-commerce, pure-play) tailored to local market dynamics and shopper missions.
• Oversee the design and development & merchandising plans of permanent fixtures, stands and in-store POS, ensuring they elevate the brand and improve the shopper journey.
• Drive impactful secondary space, in-store activations and promotions that win vs competition at the point of purchase.
• Partner with Sales and PR to build and execute go-to-market and activation plans for new launches, campaigns and events.

Insights, Partnerships & Growth

• Analyse sales, retailer EPOS and market data to generate actionable insights and translate them into clear plans (range, pricing, activation).
• Track market trends and competitor activity (NPD, promos, digital/media, social, influencers) and feed recommendations into future strategies.
• Act as the primary relationship owner for our beauty brands, strengthening long-term partnerships and joint business planning.
• Manage key third-party partners (POS, design, agencies) to deliver on time, on brand and on budget.
• Support and participate in internal and external meetings including retailer presentations, representing both our company and our brands with confidence and credibility.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience in a category management, buying or commercial marketing role , ideally within beauty or cosmetics .
• Proven people management experience , including coaching, developing and performance-managing a team.
• Strong track record of working with large and complex SKU counts and multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Commercially sharp with strong pricing and promotional planning experience.
• Highly numerate and analytical , confident using Excel and working with retailer, market and internal data to drive decisions.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills , comfortable presenting to senior internal stakeholders and external partners/retailers.
• Experience working with European retailers ; additional European language(s) is an advantage.

About You

• A true beauty enthusiast – deeply passionate about beauty, brands and trends, with your finger on the pulse of what shoppers love.
• Thrives in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment ; comfortable with pace, change and high expectations.
• Highly organised and structured , able to prioritise and deliver across multiple projects, markets and stakeholders.
• Hands-on, proactive and solutions-focused – you don’t just spot problems, you fix them.
• Strong influencer and relationship-builder , able to work cross-functionally and externally to get things done.
• Ambitious, driven and excited by the opportunity to scale the business

Why Join Us

At Albert Roger, you’ll be part of a team that combines deep market knowledge, operational excellence, and a passion for beauty retail. You’ll help brands, from global names to rising stars to scale across Europe with precision and speed.

• Flexible hours & Healthcare plan
• Modern office facilities with café & spacious breakout areas
• Free onsite gym, paddle tennis & parking