Category Manager: Job profile & Role
The role of a category manager combines marketing, sales, and general management aspects. Generally spoken, a category manager is responsible for driving the success of a specific product or service category. This is accomplished by developing and executing strategies that optimize sales, profitability, and customer demands. To start a career as a category manager, you usually are expected to possess at least a bachelor’s degree and a couple of years of work experience in a relevant field.
Short Summary
- As a category manager, your main task is to manage a specific category of products or services within a company or retail organization.
- Category managers are strategic thinkers with exceptional sales skills. You will also be expected to possess both marketing and analytical knowledge.
- Category managers usually start their career in some junior-role in marketing or sales and then work towards the position of a senior category manager or general marketing director.
Job description
As a category manager, you will develop and implement a strategic plan for an assigned category of products or services. These strategies need to meet the customers’ satisfaction and the company’s need at the same time. Your job will include setting goals, identifying target markets, and determining product or services assortment. Some of the duties of a category manager are analysing the market, collaborating with pricing and marketing teams, and negotiating both with suppliers and stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Developing of a category strategy
- Analysing the market Manage suppliers
- Negotiate contracts
- Ensure the quality of your product or service range
- Oversee the work of marketing and production teams
- Collaborate with several internal departments such as finance, marketing, and sales
- Monitor and continuously improve the product or services category
Different types
- Retail category manager
- Supply category manager
Salary
The average salary of a category manager in the UK is about £45.000. Your salary will depend on various aspects, such as your amount of experience, the industry you are employed in, the size of the company, and whether you work as a retail category manager or a supply category manager. Some employers might pay a higher salary if you have diverse experience in various aspects of the job or have worked in different industries.
However, on an entry-level you can expect to earn around £35,000. While gaining experience and climbing up the career ladder, your salary will also rise. As a senior category manager, you might earn £70,000 or more.
Working hours
Your work environment and your work schedule as a category manager depends on whether you are employed as a retail category manager or a supply category manager. Generally spoken, category managers work regular office hours from 9 am to 5.30 pm. As the role involves travelling to meet suppliers, negotiating prices with various retailers, and meeting with other stakeholders, you might sometimes have to work evenings or weekends.
On the other hand, some employers might offer the opportunity to work remote or flexible work-schedules such as part-time.
Employers
Category managers are employed by companies in various industries. Big retailers, such as grocery stores, furniture stores, drug stores, and e-commerce companies are among the employers. Most of the successful suppliers also use category management.
As a category manager, you can not only work for companies that sell goods, but as well for companies that deal with services. Therefore, you might keep an open mind when it comes to looking for a suitable company to start your career as a category manager.
Qualifications
There are no formal requirements to become a category manager. Nevertheless, to start a career in category management you are expected to hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. In addition, you are expected to have gained several years of experience in marketing, sales or another relevant area.
If you consider starting a career as a category manager in an industry with technical products or services, you might consider adding an extra degree or certification in this area.
Instead of elevating your career level with a master’s degree, you can also apply for marketing and management internship or join a graduate trainee program.
The Job as a Category Manager could be suitable for you if you have one or more of the following qualifications:
Skills
Category managers are responsible for the development, the improvement, the pricing, and the promotion of a product range or services. For the job of a category manager, you need both strategic skills and sales skills as well as leadership skills. While these qualifications are commonly sought after, it ’s important to note that specific requirements may vary depending on the organization and industry.
Does the Job as a Category Manager suit you? Typically, Product Manager should have or develop the following skills:
Strategic Thinking
The success of a whole product range or range of services depends on the sales concept you develop. Therefore, category managers must have the ability to think strategically and develop long-term plans for their assigned category. They should be able to set goals, identify growth opportunities, and align category strategies with overall business objectives.
Financial Skills
As a category manager, you are responsible for the budgeting of a product range or services and the prizing of the products or services. Therefore, financial acumen is crucial. You need a good understanding of financial concepts, such as profit margins, pricing strategies, and general budgeting. In addition, you are expected to be able to analyse financial data and make decisions that maximize profitability.
Leadership Skills
As a category manager, you will communicate and collaborate with various stakeholders. This includes the leadership of internal teams as well as negotiations with suppliers or retailers. As you will work on multiple projects simultaneously, you need strong project management skills as well. This includes the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams, prioritize tasks, and meet budgets and deadlines.
Career Path
As there are no formal requirements to start a career in category management, there are different possible career paths that you can follow. Nevertheless, most employers expect candidates to possess a university degree, several years of relevant work experience, and the readiness for continuous learning.
Educational Background
Although, it is not legally mandatory for a category manager to hold a university degree, most employers will expect candidates to possess at least a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, supply chain management, or a related field is often preferred. Some employers may require a master’s degree or relevant certifications.
Alternatively, you might complete your education by joining a graduate trainee program or apply for a marketing and management internship.
Gaining Experience
Before you actually start your career as a category manager, you have to gain substantial experience in sales, marketing or general management. Starting your career as a project manager is also a good idea to gain experience that will prepare you to fulfil the diverse tasks of a category manager.
A typical entry-position in category management is the junior category manager. In this position, you will assist senior category managers in analysing data, developing and implementing category strategies and managing product assortments. With several years of experience in this role, you can take the next step up the career ladder and work as a category manager.
Continuous Learning
Continuous learning is crucial for every category manager to stay ahead of industry trends, enhance their expertise, and achieve better results for their categories. The process of continuous learning includes different aspects:
- Networking: By attending industry conferences and networking events provides you with opportunities to connect with industry experts and potential suppliers or retailers.
- Coaching and mentoring: Seeking advice and learning from a senior category manager can boost your career significantly.
- Attending courses: By attending courses and gaining certifications you can not only deepen your knowledge in the field of category management but also specialise, for example as a digital category manager.
A Day in the Life of a Category Manager
What your work will actually be like as a category manager depends on the industry you are working for as well as the level of category management you are working in. Therefore, the day-to-day activities of a category manager can vary widely. However, the following tasks will provide a general overview of the responsibilities and activities in category management.
Planning and Prioritising
The role of a category manager includes both sales tasks and marketing tasks. Category managers spend a significant amount of time analysing market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitor strategies. On this basis, category managers develop and refine category strategies to drive growth and profitability.
Meeting and Negotiating with Stakeholders
Category managers will spend a lot of time in meetings with members of various departments, as well as suppliers or retailers. You will present and discuss performance strategies with internal partners. In meetings with suppliers or retailers, you will negotiate contracts and terms, and collaborate on new initiatives. This way, category managers ensure the availability of quality products.
Managing Teams
Category managers are responsible to leading their own category management team and supervising the work of members from different departments. Therefore, category managers build and develop effective teams. It is part of the day-to-day job of a category manager to set clear and achievable goals for their team. Effective planning and organization ensure that team members know what needs to be done and how to prioritize their work.
Tips for Thriving as a Categroy Manager
If you want to thrive in category management, you need to hone your skills, be ambitious, and embrace challenges. In this part of the blog-post, you will find some tips that help you to excel in your role as a category manager. Learn about how to thrive in campaign management by:
- Building Relationships
- Deepening Creative and Analytical Skills
- Cultivating Resilience
Building Relationships
Category managers need reliable relationships with various internal and external partners. Building and maintaining relationships with clients, vendors, and stakeholders is crucial for campaign managers. They should be skilled in networking, negotiation, and managing relationships to ensure successful collaboration and achieve campaign objectives. Being good at building relationships involves the ability to communicate effectively, articulating oneself clearly, and being reliable.
Deepening Creative and Analytical Skills
The role of a category manager combines creative and analytical skills. Therefore, category managers need to hone both skills that many people consider to be incongruously.
Creativity is crucial for a category manager when it comes to developing campaign ideas. They need to be able to think outside the box and come up with unique approaches to capture the attention of the target audience and differentiate their campaigns from competitors.
Campaign managers should be proficient in data analysis to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and make data-driven decisions. They have to be able to interpret campaign metrics, identify trends, and optimize campaign performance based on insights gained from data analysis.
Cultivating Resilience
The job of a category manager is all but mundane and can be quite challenging at times. Therefore, it is crucial to cultivate your resilience. Developing resilience includes several aspects, such as:
- Developing a positive mindset
- Practising self-care
- Learning from set-backs
Other jobs that are similar and might also interest you:
Frequently Asked Question
While specific requirements to start a career as a category manager do not exist, most employers expect candidates to hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Some institutions may even such for candidates that possess a master’s degree in management or a related discipline. In addition, you will need several years of experience in sales or marketing before you start your career as a category manager. It’s important to note that while these qualifications are commonly sought after, the specific requirements for project management roles can vary depending on the organization and industry.
As a category manager, you can work in different industries and choose if you want to work as a retail category manager or a supply category manager. However, a category manager’s main tasks are to maximize sales and profitability by developing and implementing effective strategies for the assigned category. This includes strategy development, category analysis, and supplier management. In summary, they are responsible for strategically managing a specific product category to drive sales, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
You should consider that a category managers’ salary depends on various factors. These include the industry you work in, the size of the company, your level of experience, and your individual qualifications. However, category managers in the UK earn an average salary of £45.000.
On an entry-level, you can expect to earn about £35,000. Your salary will rise once you start climbing the career ladder. In a senior role in category management, you can expect to earn £70,000 or more.