Position Snapshot

Business Area: Nestlé Waters and Premium Beverages (NWUK) 
Strategic Category Manager

Location: Gatwick – Hybrid working: approx. 2 days per week in our office

Salary up to 50k dependent upon experience + potential bonus + other fantastic benefits

Championing diversity and inclusion is so important to us; when we embrace different perspectives and give everyone the chance to be the best they can be, we can think in new, creative ways that grow and enhance our business.  

At Nestlé, we are proud to support and provide equality of opportunity that supports employees to effectively blend their work life and commitments through hybrid and flexible working arrangements, so speak to us to understand what this could look like for you.

Position Summary

Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages is the world leader in the bottled water market and we’re committed to bottling the very best waters from the source, straight to our customers, via the most advanced and sustainable techniques currently employed. We are also proud to produce some of the UK’s best-loved brands including Buxton, SanPellegrino, Perrier and Nestlé Pure Life.  We have a genuine passion for Water and Healthy Beverages a fabulous portfolio of brands, a clear Premium Beverage strategy and a determination to win in the marketplace of both consumers and customers

We have a great opportunity for a Strategic Category Manager to join our Commercial Development Team (CDT) to help shape market winning plans pack promotion and pricing strategy and channel strategy for our Waters & Healthy Beverages brands across a range of customers.

A day in the life of a Strategic Category Manager …

In this fast paced, challenging environment, you will be a trusted Strategic category expert. The role will build shopper lead action plans to win share and out-think, influence and execute the competition. You will develop, integrate and Commercialise the Brand and Channel Priorities to contribute to our overall share, organic growth and profit growth.

Key responsibilities of this role will include: .

• Work with the Category Development team to commercialise channel strategy and priorities and lead the creation of the Picture of Success recommendations (5 P’s)
• Support the Strategic Revenue Management planning and execution agenda within the business to continue our journey of driving profitable growth and external share winning plans
• Support in identifying priority channels for the Category/Brand and develop tailored Category Channel plans in line with overall market strategy.
• Contribute to the Integrated Commercial Planning (ICP) process by identifying the key opportunities and possible shopper lead action plans for the Category/Brand.
• Support in developing winning commercial propositions for the category/Brand, effectively communicating these to customers, the sales team and field sales managers through sells, CPs etc.
• Play a key role in a cross functional team in Commercialisation of NPD and pack format recommendations and Picture of success (5ps) recommendations

What will make you successful?

To be successful, you will already have some fantastic commercial experience under your belt, in an FMCG environment, and ideally have proven experience of delivering in a strategic category role previously. This really is a unique opportunity to develop your leadership skills by delivering new thinking into the Category whilst being a part of a supportive and innovative team.    

You will have managed complex agendas across multiple customers, channels and brands whilst engaging multiple stakeholders. 

You will be experienced in creating and selling winning category plans and will have the ability to think strategically whilst demonstrating a highly developed commercial acumen.

With strong communication and influencing skills, you’ll have the ability to coach and lead a wide range of stakeholders both internally and externally.

Why Nestlé? 

Across Nestlé, we are creating an environment where we all feel we belong, we are the best we can be, and we win together. We want people to feel they can be themselves, dare greatly and believe their best is yet to come. 

We will actively encourage you to gain different experiences in a wide range of roles across both Category Sales and Marketing. We want our people to have the breadth and depth of experience and as a result access fantastic career opportunities which could lead to a wide range of exciting roles both in the UK and across other markets. 

Supported by our industry leading eBusiness and Sales Academies which develops you in all aspects of eCommerce, customer and category management, you truly can achieve your full potential whatever that might mean for you.

What you need to know

What can we offer in return? Great benefits you’d expect from a business the size of Nestlé – in the shape of a competitive salary and benefits package, bonus scheme, flexible working scheme, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays plus flex leave, pension scheme and a real focus on personal development and growth.

Job advert posting date 07/10/2025 

Job advert closing date 22/10/2025

We will be considering and interviewing candidates as they apply and we will occasionally close job advertisements early in the event we receive sufficient applicants, so please don’t delay in submitting your application.

At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect. When we embrace diversity and give everyone the chance to be the best they can be, we can think in new, creative ways that grow and enhance our business. People of all gender identities, ethnically diverse individuals, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBT+ community are strongly encouraged to apply. If there is anything we can do to accommodate you to participate fully in the application process, please let us know. We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity, our people make up a number of Colleague Networks who represent different experiences and communities who hold us accountable in creating a sense of belonging for all, and our values create the conditions for us to respect the unique contribution you bring. Find out more about our Colleague Networks here: Diversity, equity and inclusion | Nestlé (nestle.co.uk)

We are committed to equal opportunity for all and we may collect relevant data for monitoring purposes during our candidate registration process. Be yourself, everyone else is taken!