Category Strategy Manager

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Job Description

M&S Food is changing, and fast! We are undergoing one of the biggest transformations in retailing today to build a bigger, better, fresher food business.

From Percy Pig to the freshest M&S Select Farms produce, we grow, source, and develop our own products to give our customers family-ready food that's unbeatable on flavour and innovation.

We need motivated people who are ready to bring their whole self to work and give it their all in a fast-paced team committed to being the best. After all, this is not just food... This is M&S Food.

M&S Food is changing, and fast. We are transforming our business to be more relevant, more often to more people. Given the scale of the opportunity within the group, this is an exciting time to join us.

Reporting to the Head of Category Transformation, you'll be a core member of the category strategy team, working to help support the category teams in resetting and transforming our overall customer proposition. Your role will involve driving the category reset/transformation process, supporting with analysis and insight, and leading the programme management.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
What's in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We're an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special...

• After completing your probationary period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
• Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

What you'll do

Your key accountabilities will include

• Drive all aspects of the reset/transformation projects, ensuring that all deadlines are met, risks mitigated and landmarks properly communicated
• Carry out all Programme Management activities including programme planning, risk and issue management, decision logs, reporting and governance, benefit/ KPI measurement
• Lead range and price architecture research and analysis to ensure clear tiering and clear price architecture, range gaps identified
• Complete detailed analysis to inform, develop and value all elements of a robust reset/transformation plan, including promotional mechanics, product development roadmap, channel strategy, merchandising & display principles, and marketing calendar
• Interpret and manipulate data from multiple sources and systems (e.g. financial, transactional, store and customer) to build a complete view of performance and potential opportunities

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include

• Track record of structuring and analysing complex problems
• Clear and concise written communication (PowerPoint, Word, Email)
• Excellent attention to detail and focus on quality/accuracy of output
• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple partners
• Experience working within a commercial and fast-paced environment

Everyone's welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.