We are looking for a strategic and commercially driven Category Development Manager to identify, develop, and launch new category growth opportunities. The role will lead the end-to-end journey from market opportunity identification and business case development to product development, sourcing, commercialization, and launch performance.
Key Responsibilities :
- Identify and evaluate new category and product opportunities aligned with business growth strategy.
- Develop category roadmaps, business cases, P&L models, pricing strategies, and go-to-market plans.
- Lead end-to-end new product development and commercialization through stage-gate processes.
- Drive market, consumer, competitor, and trend analysis to identify high-potential opportunities.
- Partner with R&D, Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Finance, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain to deliver successful launches.
- Manage external partners, co-manufacturers, suppliers, research agencies, and strategic partners.
- Track revenue, profitability, market share, launch performance, and ROI and recommend corrective actions.
- Present category strategies, investment proposals, and performance updates to senior management.
Ideal Candidate :
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Economics, Engineering, Food Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of FMCG / Food & Beverage experience in Category Development, Product Development, Innovation, Portfolio, or Brand Management.
- Proven experience launching and commercializing new categories, products, or brands.
- Mandatory experience in Coffee or related beverage categories.
- Strong expertise in market assessment, consumer insights, category strategy, pricing, commercialization, and financial modelling.
- Experience working with co-manufacturers, suppliers, and external strategic partners.
- Strong commercial acumen, analytical skills, stakeholder management, and project leadership.
- Arabic language is an advantage.
