Category Manager

Category Manager
Up to £55,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6A) 
Manchester City Centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and coming into the office at least two to three times a week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).  

We’re looking for a commercially savvy and data-driven Category Manager to join our Propositions team. You’ll play a key role in shaping category strategies and driving performance across pricing, promotions, and product ranges. This is a brilliant opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and partners and make a real impact on our Food business.

Why this job matters

This role sits at the heart of our trading strategy. You’ll be supporting the delivery of key KPIs by analysing performance, spotting opportunities, and helping shape the category proposition. Whether it’s reviewing the competitive landscape, forecasting performance, or briefing commercial teams, your insight will help us make smarter decisions and deliver for our customers. You’ll also be a go-to voice in the room, we’ll look to you to confidently present your findings to colleagues and external partners.

What you’ll do

•    Build strong relationships with internal teams and channel partners to drive category success
•    Visit stores and keep an eye on the market to spot new trends and customer needs
•    Use data and insight to shape recommendations across product range, pricing, and promotions
•    Support strategy development and clearly communicate plans to commercial teams
•    Work with the Senior Category Manager to analyse range performance and build customer-focused plans
•    Help launch own-label products and support promotional planning
•    Brief commercial teams on cost targets and promotional activity
•    Contribute to budgeting and forecasting, keeping a close eye on category performance

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

•    A knack for turning complex data into clear, actionable insights
•    Hands-on experience with tools like MicroStrategy, Circana, Excel, and PowerPoint
•    A strong sense of commercial awareness, especially around cost and volume
•    The confidence to communicate clearly and present ideas that influence decisions
•    A good understanding of GSCOP and other key policies and know how to apply them

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.
We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.