Category Head | Leading Paints Company

• Lead a premium category with full P&L ownership
• Drive innovation and shape long-term business growth

About Our Client

Our client is a leading organisation within the paints and building materials sector, recognised for its focus on innovation, quality, and consumer-centric solutions. The company is on an ambitious growth trajectory and is investing heavily in premium category development, product excellence, and market expansion.

Job Description

• Develop and execute the overall category strategy to drive growth, profitability, and market leadership.
• Own the category P&L and deliver annual and quarterly volume, value, and margin targets.
• Identify opportunities for new product development, portfolio expansion, and product enhancement.
• Manage the complete product lifecycle from ideation through commercialization and successful market launch.
• Conduct regular market analysis, consumer research, and competitive benchmarking to identify emerging trends and opportunities.
• Build category awareness and preference among consumers, influencers, retailers, and contractors.
• Define and execute strategies to improve category penetration, adoption, and market reach.
• Establish structured processes for category management, innovation, and new product development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful execution of category initiatives.
• Develop and implement pricing strategies that balance competitiveness with profitability objectives.
• Monitor promotional investments and marketing expenditures to maximise return on investment.
• Provide strategic recommendations on regional pricing and portfolio management.
• Champion sustainability initiatives and ensure compliance with product safety standards.
• Support marketing campaigns, retail activations, influencer engagement programmes, and consumer-focused initiatives.

The Successful Applicant

• Postgraduate qualification from a reputed institution.
• 12-15 years of experience in category management, product management, or related commercial functions.
• Prior experience managing premium or luxury product categories is highly desirable.
• Proven track record of launching, scaling, and managing successful products.
• Strong understanding of consumer behaviour, market dynamics, and category growth drivers.
• Demonstrated expertise in P&L management, pricing strategy, and profitability optimisation.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to translate market insights into actionable business plans.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Strong communication and influencing abilities with experience working across multiple business functions.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to lead a strategically important and high-growth category.
• End-to-end ownership across category strategy, product innovation, marketing, and commercial performance.
• Significant visibility with senior leadership and key business stakeholders.
• Fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment with substantial growth opportunities.
• Competitive compensation and long-term career progression prospects.

Quote job ref: JN-082026-7087212