Category Development Manager

About Us

PENSION ENHANCEMENTS UP TO 10% | 4-WEEK SABBATICAL EVERY 5 YEARS | STAFF DISCOUNT | EXTRA HOLIDAY DAY EACH YEAR 

We love great craft beer. We want everyone to be as passionate about it as we are – and our central team are vital in this mission. Every single person in our team can shape our future for the better, whether that’s for our people, planet or our incredible beer. Because we expect great things from you, we give great things back.

PENSION ENHANCEMENT | We increase our contributions to your pension up to 10% of your salary so together we can properly invest in your future. And, since the statutory amount all businesses pay is 3%, our decision to pay above that shows we’re taking your future seriously.

4-WEEK SABBATICAL| After every 5 years here you will receive an additional 4 weeks off to spend doing whatever you want.

STAFF DISCOUNT | 25% off in bars, 30% off online and 50% off BrewDog Merch to fill up your fridge and your wardrobe* (*don’t put your hoody in the fridge though)

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY DAYS | For every full year completed up to your 5th year with us we add on one additional day’s leave above and beyond your initial entitlement. You therefore get an extra full week off at 5 years every single year onward to rest up. 

AND A LOT MORE | Okay, deep breath… enhanced sick pay, healthcare, life assurance, high street retail discounts, employee assistance programmes, enhanced family friendly policies around maternity and paternity leave, pawternity leave, DE+I and crew forum groups and an allowance to quality check some beers each month!

About The Role

JOB PURPOSE

 

The Category Manager is BrewDog's category expert for an assigned portfolio of customers, responsible for leading category relationships and using data-led insight to influence retailer decisions that grow both the Craft Beer category and BrewDog's performance.

 

Acting as the category custodian, the role combines analytical excellence with commercial storytelling to identify growth opportunities, quantify the commercial opportunity, and influence ranging, distribution, merchandising and promotional decisions. The role partners closely with Sales and Shopper Marketing to deliver category-led growth plans across Grocery, while supporting opportunities in Impulse and On Trade where required.

 

 

KEY RESULT AREA / PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Customer Category Leadership

 

• Own category relationships across an assigned portfolio of grocery customers, becoming the trusted category advisor to retailer buying and category teams.
• Lead monthly category reviews with customers, providing actionable insight, performance updates and strategic recommendations.
• Build retailer-specific category growth plans that support both customer objectives and BrewDog's commercial ambitions.
• Support category development opportunities across On Trade and Impulse channels where required.

 

Category & Commercial Insight

 

• Analyse category, shopper and retailer performance using Circana, NIQ, retailer EPOS systems and loyalty data.
• Translate complex datasets into clear commercial stories that influence ranging, distribution, merchandising, pricing and promotional decisions.
• Identify category growth opportunities by quantifying the commercial "size of prize" for both BrewDog and the customer.
• Develop compelling selling stories supported by robust data and actionable recommendations.

   

  Performance & Growth

   

• Monitor and evaluate performance across key commercial KPIs including Rate of Sale (ROS), Distribution, Market Share, Promotional effectiveness, Range productivity, Shopper penetration
• Conduct regular deep-dive performance reviews to diagnose issues, identify growth opportunities and recommend corrective actions.
• Partner with Sales to improve distribution, increase ROS and strengthen BrewDog's position within Craft Beer.

   

  Cross Functional Collaboration

   

• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, Shopper Marketing and Finance to deliver integrated customer plans.
• Support Joint Business Planning through category-led recommendations.
• Provide category input into innovation, assortment reviews and customer presentations.

 

 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS - INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL:

Internal: Sales Director, Channel Directors, Key Account Managers, Shopper Marketing, Marketing

External: Customer buying teams, Customer space planning teams, Category Agencies 

 

About You

QUALIFICATIONS & SPECIFIC TRAINING

 

Essential:

Training in category management, shopper/category analytics or data visualisation.

Experience with retailer space planning tools.

Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills

 

Desirable:

Category Management Association (CMA) or equivalent Category Management qualification.

Degree or equivalent qualification in Business, Marketing, Economics, Mathematics or a related discipline (or equivalent commercial experience).

 

 

EXPERIENCE

 

Essential

3–5+ years' experience in Category Management, Category Development or Commercial Insights within UK FMCG.

Proven experience leading category relationships with major UK grocery retailers.

Demonstrable success influencing retailer decisions using data-led category recommendations.

Experience supporting Joint Business Planning and annual customer planning cycles.

Experience identifying distribution, ranging and ROS opportunities and converting them into commercial outcomes.

Strong presentation experience with customer-facing category reviews.

 

Desirable

Experience within Beer, Alcohol or Premium FMCG.

Experience supporting Convenience, Wholesale or On Trade channels.

Experience working in a Category Captain or trusted advisor capacity

 

KNOWLEDGE

Essential

Strong understanding of UK Grocery retail landscape.

Excellent understanding of Category Management principles.

Understanding of retailer category review processes.

Knowledge of distribution, ROS, promotional effectiveness and assortment optimisation.

Good understanding of Revenue Growth Management principles.

 

Desirable

Understanding of the UK Beer and Alcohol category.

Knowledge of Impulse and On Trade channels. 

 

SKILLS

Essential

Expert user of Circana (IRI) and/or NIQ.

Advanced experience using retailer EPOS and loyalty datasets including dunnhumby, Quantium, SIP and similar customer platforms.

Highly advanced Excel capability, including managing and analysing large datasets.

Strong PowerPoint and data storytelling skills.

Ability to translate complex analysis into commercially compelling recommendations.

Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to quantify growth opportunities and build robust business cases.

Excellent presentation and influencing skills with senior customer stakeholders.

Strong project management and prioritisation skills.

Comfortable managing multiple customer priorities simultaneously.

 

Desirable

Experience with Power BI or Tableau.

Experience with retailer space planning software (Blue Yonder/JDA or similar).

Familiarity with syndicated household panel data (Kantar Worldpanel). 

 

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

 

Commercially curious with a growth mindset.

Confident influencing internal and external stakeholders.

Data-driven but action-oriented.

Strong relationship builder.

Comfortable challenging thinking through evidence and insight.

Able to simplify complexity into clear commercial recommendations.

Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.

Self-starter with a bias for action.

Passionate about winning in category.

 

 

SUCCESS MEASURES

 

Success in this role will be measured by:

 

Recovery of BrewDog's market share within Craft Beer.

Improvements in Rate of Sale (ROS).

Distribution gains across key retailers.

Delivery of customer category growth initiatives.

Quality and frequency of retailer engagement.

Commercial impact of insight-led recommendations.

Strong cross-functional partnership with Sales and Marketing.