Category Manager at Haco Industries Kenya Limited

About the Role

Reporting to the Director – Marketing and Customer Service, the position holder will manage the allocated market categories towards realization of the set business objectives.

Primary duties and responsibilities

• Developing and executing the Category’s marketing strategies and plans.
• Develop robust initiatives, including digital to drive the category by being able to link the marketing agenda to the category/ brand growth in terms of market share, revenues, volumes and portfolio contribution to the total business.
• Translate marketing & category plan into activities that optimize commercial opportunities.
• Driving the category’s brand pricing by understanding the competitive landscape, own category margin levels and drivers.
• Providing resourceful insights that will help the business in understanding the market through trade visits, liaison with on-ground teams, market intelligence seeking, analysis of sales and research data to determine product and market requirements for existing and future products.
• Scan the markets and identify opportunities that bring about product renovation, pricing strategy review, competitor analysis and customer/channel specific needs.
• Identifying new opportunities for category growth in relation to existing and new products, segments, geographies etc.
• Deliver market and customer knowledge driven input into products innovation projects and brand planning to ensure requirements of categories will be met in the future.
• Managing of the allocated marketing budgets within agreed targets and aligned with customer advertising activities.
• Have oversight and clarity of the status of all category assets e.g. marketing artworks, model usage rights, product labels repositories & approval status.
• Work closely with the unit heads, product development and sales teams to stay abreast of operational capabilities and utilize them as marketing resources as appropriate.
• Monitoring competitor strategies, activities and feeding the information to the business leadership for tactical plans to grow the categories.
• Regular performance tracking, preferably weekly, and compilation of a report on the same which is circulated to the respective stakeholders.
• Close out all campaigns/promotions with reports that clearly articulates if the objectives have been met.
• Liaise with Procurement to ensure correct specification and ordering of merchandise and suppliers sourcing in accordance to budget and business needs while maximizing savings through effective negotiations with service providers.

The Person:

• Relevant Marketing / Business degree
• At least 5 years’ experience in a brand marketing related role preferably within manufacturing industry.
• Post graduate qualification in marketing.
• Membership of relevant professional bodies e.g. MSK, CIM etc
• Business management and brand development experience
• Category Planning skills
• Brand Launch / Brand relaunch project plan management skills
• Sales experience will be an advantage.
• Teamwork and solutions-oriented
• Data analytics capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure.
• Possess good verbal and written communication skills
• Active listening and attention to detail