Overview
Strategic Category Manager – Infant Formula (Crawley, GB, RH10 9AD)
Business Area: Nestlé Nutrition
Location: Gatwick (Hybrid working – approx. 2 flexible days a week in the office)
Salary up to £66,000 depending on experience
Some of our other fantastic benefits:
- Car allowance
- Potential, discretionary annual bonus
- Generous pension scheme
- 12 flexible days on top of 25 day holiday entitlement
- 2 paid volunteering days
- A focus on personal development and growth
Although this is a full-time opportunity, please speak to us about what flexibility means to you as we are always open to discuss individual’s flexible working needs, don’t let this stop you from applying.
Position Summary
Nestlé Nutrition is an incredibly exciting and innovative category within the Nestlé UK&I business – and one where a commercial career can see you working collaboratively across many different functions with significant exposure and recognition. With an entrepreneurial mindset, we’re developing a portfolio of brands and products that inspire consumers with nutritious and convenient solutions. We have identified several new growth platforms building on consumer trends focusing on healthier diets, sustainability, eCommerce and affordability.
The Commercial Development Team (CDT) within Nestlé Nutrition have a fantastic opportunity for a Strategic Category Manager to join the team. This is an exciting and pivotal role that will see you develop, lead and execute the commercial strategy, comprising category strategy, channel and customer strategy, pricing /promotional strategy and strategic revenue management across Infant Formula and powdered Milk brands as well as leading our Integrated commercial planning process and NPD projects. You will do this across a range of customers across a number of important channels in the UK&I.
We are looking for an experienced commercial individual who has the ability to always ‘put the category first’ ensuring we operate as a real impartial strategic partner to our customers to support long term category growth that drives our commercial ambitions.
Your impact
You will be responsible for defining and delivering future based opportunities using your initiative to build long term plans and achieve our ambitious strategic goals aligned to the wider business.
You will build market leading 3-year Commercial plans using shopper, retailer and consumer insight, coupled with channel and customer prioritisation, category strategy outputs, pricing and promotional strategies as well as Strategic revenue management. Our Nutrition UK&I business comprises large mature brands as well as exciting new brands so you will need to demonstrate exceptional commercial acumen to drive improved growth and profitability.
Cross functional working will be a key part of this role and there is a particular need to give consistent year round support to our sales team, showcasing category thought-leadership and building relations with key external stakeholders.
We are looking for you to play a pivotal role in building category knowledge and capability across the Nutrition teams through coaching, supporting and constructive challenge to help us continue to strive for excellence in this space.
Your ingredients for success
To be successful, you will already have some fantastic category and commercial experience under your belt, ideally with proven experience of delivering in a strategic category role previously. If you have worked in an FMCG environment with experience in the infant nutrition category and/or working across the Big 4 retailers this would be desirable. 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 also:
- Have a great analytical approach to drive insight and be able to transform data into compelling stories that drives actions and return on investment.
- Have experience of creating and selling winning category plans within an FMCG environment.
- Have experience in building strong commercial plans balancing growth, spend and profit – Strategic revenue management and pricing management are key elements of the role.
- Be adaptable, demonstrating agility to use your initiative to solve challenges rapidly and often in a creative way.
- Understand the importance of working in a customer centric way.
- Be courageous, we’re not afraid to think differently and embrace new ideas. We want you to disrupt what we do in the right way to drive great results and change.
- Love of learning, understanding 'why?' and ability to share this both externally and internally in a compelling way.
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
Advert posting date: 13/02/2026
Advert closing date: 27/02/2026
We will be considering 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 and we believe that embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment allows everyone to reach their full potential and drives innovative thinking. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, parents, carers and members of the LGBT+ community. Please let us know if we can provide accommodations to ensure your full participation in the application process.
We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity. We proudly signed the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, are committed to Disability Confidence, and have been recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for gender equality for three consecutive years. Additionally, we are a headline partner of Diversity and Inclusion in grocery.
To find out more about Nestle’s commitment to DEI: Nestlé's Commitment to a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
To find out more about your recruitment journey with Nestle: Recruitment Journey | Nestlé UK & Ireland
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
