Retail Category Leadership Manager

Position Title: Retail Category Leadership Manager

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time

Requisition ID: 45010

RETAIL CATEGORY LEADERSHIP MANAGER

Villeneuve d'Ascq, France

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences — together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

ABOUT THE ROLE.

Are you passionate about category strategy, shopper insights and driving growth across diverse European markets? Do you enjoy connecting the dots between strategy and execution, influencing stakeholders and turning complex market insights into tangible business opportunities?

At McCain, we are looking for a Retail Category Leadership Manager to shape and drive our category leadership agenda across our key European Retail markets.

This is a newly created role with a unique opportunity to build a European category vision from the ground up. Working at the intersection of Marketing, Sales, Innovation and local Category Management teams, you will translate consumer and shopper insights, market dynamics and brand strategies into actionable category growth opportunities for our retail business.

You will lead category strategy for McCain and co-develop the category strategies for Pickers and Strong Roots in partnership with our International Snacking Category Manager. Across Continental Europe, you will turn market and shopper insights into growth opportunities, balancing a consistent regional vision with the specific needs of local markets

This is a strategic leadership role with a strong hands-on dimension. You will not have direct reports, but you will play a pivotal role in aligning and influencing a network of local Category Managers, building strong cross-functional partnerships and ensuring that our European category vision translates into meaningful local execution.

If you combine strategic thinking, strong category expertise and the ability to bring people together around a shared ambition, this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on McCain's Retail business across Europe.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING.

* Shape the European category strategy: Define and drive the category vision, segmentation and growth priorities for Retail Continental Europe, working closely with the Sales and Marketing Directors and aligning with McCain's long-term strategy and commercial objectives.

* Build category strategies across our brand portfolio: Lead category strategy development for McCain and co-develop the Pickers and Strong Roots category agenda in close partnership with our International Snacking Category Manager, connecting European market realities with global category perspectives.

* Turn insights into business opportunities: Leverage shopper, consumer, market and competitive insights to identify category growth opportunities across countries and channels, using data to inform decisions on assortment, innovation, promotion, merchandising and in-store activation.

* Bridge strategy and execution: Translate European category priorities into clear, actionable recommendations that local teams can implement, ensuring that category strategies are relevant to individual markets, customers and retail channels.

* Connect and influence across Europe: Build strong relationships with local Category Managers, Sales teams, Key Account Managers, Marketing, Innovation and global stakeholders to align priorities, share best practices and drive a consistent category agenda without direct line management authority.

* Strengthen customer partnerships: Partner with Key Account Managers to embed category insights into joint business plans and develop category-led partnerships with European retail customers and buying alliances, creating value for McCain, our customers and consumers.

* Champion data-driven decision-making: Work closely with Business Intelligence, Insights, Data & Digitization teams to maximise the value of market research and analytics, translating complex data into compelling recommendations and clear business actions.

* Represent Continental Europe within McCain's global category community: Connect with global and regional teams, particularly GB and wider EMENA, to exchange best practices, influence strategic discussions and bring relevant global insights into the European category agenda.

* Build a shared category leadership culture: Coach and support the local Category Manager community, encouraging intellectual curiosity, constructive challenge, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across markets.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

* Category management expertise: At least 8 years of experience in Category Management, preferably within FMCG, with a proven track record of developing and implementing category strategies that deliver measurable business results.

* Strategic and operational thinking: The ability to build a long-term category vision while remaining close to execution, translating strategic priorities into practical recommendations that local teams can activate.

* International and multicultural experience: Experience working across multiple markets, countries or international organisations, with the ability to understand different market dynamics, recognise common opportunities and adapt strategies to local realities.

* Strong commercial and analytical capabilities: A solid understanding of retail category performance drivers, including distribution, volume, promotional performance, rotation, in-store visibility and competitive dynamics. Experience with market data tools such as Circana/IRI, Kantar or GfK, as well as BI platforms such as Power BI, is highly valued.

* Influence without authority: Demonstrated ability to align stakeholders, build trust, challenge constructively and bring people together around shared priorities, particularly in matrix organisations without direct line management responsibility.

* Cross-functional collaboration: Experience partnering effectively with Sales, Marketing and other business functions, balancing different perspectives and turning shared ambitions into concrete outcomes.

* Brand and portfolio understanding: Experience working across multiple brands or product categories is an advantage, particularly where category growth requires balancing shared strategic priorities with distinct brand positioning.

* Digital and AI curiosity: An open, proactive mindset towards digital tools and AI-enabled solutions, with a willingness to explore how new technologies can improve analysis, collaboration and ways of working.

* Excellent communication skills: The ability to simplify complex information, build compelling business recommendations and influence stakeholders at different organisational levels.

* Languages: Fluent English is essential for effective collaboration across our international organisation. French, Spanish or Italian would be an additional asset.

* Mobility: Willingness to travel across Continental Europe, with travel expected to average approximately one trip per month or every two months once established in the role, depending on business needs.

Above all, you are curious, commercially minded and comfortable navigating complexity. You know how to challenge established ways of thinking while building the relationships and trust needed to turn new ideas into action.

ABOUT THE TEAM.

You will join McCain's Retail Continental Europe Marketing team, reporting to the Marketing Director, Retail Continental Europe, and working in close partnership with the Sales Director and the wider regional leadership team.

This role has been created to strengthen category leadership at the European level and establish a stronger connection between Marketing, Sales, Innovation, global category strategies and local market execution.

You will work alongside the central Retail Marketing team, including colleagues responsible for brand marketing and media, while partnering closely with the local Category Managers embe

View and apply on HireChats