Category development Manager - Distributor Sales, Dubai

At Arla, we do so much more than make some of the world’s favorite dairy products. We make healthy, tasty and delicious products, where mornings are worth getting up for, and family dinners are unforgettable. Puck®, Lurpak®, The Three Cows® – names like these make us a vital, natural part of modern life in over 100 countries around the world. There are 2,200 employees in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and 19,000 global employees at the heart of our business. Every single one of us plays an important role and together we build on our +13bn Euros turnover and establish our position as one of the largest dairy companies in the world.

Do you get energized by the dynamic pace of the MENA region and are you structured and creative by heart? Are you motivated about Trade Marketing – both off and online, working with some of the strong established brands? And are you a team player who likes to collaborate with multiple internal and external stakeholders balancing interests from both our customers, our sales department and our regional marketing department?

Then grab this exciting opportunity to be a part of the Distributor sales team in our regional office in Dubai, where you will take the lead developing and executing Trade Marketing plans across all of our brands in 10 different countries. Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt just to mention some of them!

As Category Development Manager for Distributor sales, it is your job to ensure the perfect delivery of activation of brands and products instore. You will use your understanding of shopper behavior and store opportunities to develop best-in-class solutions, and you execute instore campaigns together with our partners in close collaboration with both our sales managers and regional marketing departments.

Furthermore, the Category development Manager is tasked with proactively seeking new and innovative concepts and opportunities to drive business growth. This includes leveraging brand, digital, and formal consumer insights. Collaborating with the Regional marketing team, you will translate our regional category strategies into a local market context. Additionally, you will take the lead in fully developing the Distributor Sales Innovation strategy and pipeline, ensuring alignment with business objectives, consumer behaviour, and market demands. You will have a large contact base working with multiple internal stakeholders as well as external partners.

• Manage the total marketing and discount budget for the markets with focused mindset building strategic Channel and Category growth. In doing so you will build activity plans with key stakeholders to strengthen brands in local markets
• You will build and develop strong relations with distributors, suppliers, your team members and the regional marketing team to support the growth agenda of Distributor Sales
• You will be responsible for strengthening the NPD pipeline to support sustainable growth and profitability, ensuring that Arla respond and are relevant towards consumer needs & occasions.
• You will follow and monitor market development through local market visits and coordinate with Arla Sales Managers on market situations on marketing plans, actual performance, prices, in market presence and development of market shares. Also, review competitor activity, and take a lead in proposing new and disruptive activities
• Based on your market insights and analytic mindset, you would propose and secure right level of promos, branding, and ensure that seasoned campaign materials are allocated and distributed to local markets in coordination with expected sales numbers and Sales Managers
• You will support both internal and external stakeholders with in-depth channel and category knowledge that allows them to make an informed decision that helps them deliver their objectives
• Be a leading representative with a strong voice for Distributor Sales in the regional marketing forum. Your main task is to bring the local context closer to the regional marketing team and ensure relevant campaigns
• People manager for an Assistant Category development Manager, with the focus on winning together and development

• You have sound expertise in the development and implementation processes of brand/product marketing. This coupled with stakeholder management and relationship-building skills make an ideal trait for this role.
• You demonstrate and deliver performance meanwhile you self-driven strive towards exceeding targets at all levels.
• A good analytical mindset along with expertise in execution and implementation will be an asset for an ideal candidate for this role.
• You are flexible, love to travel, and enjoy working on a wide variety of projects simultaneously.
• You like to work in a multi-cultural environment and with customers across the region and are ready to travel between 45-55 days pr. year across different markets
• You are well organized, can work independently, and are a strong team player
• Well-spoken with good presentations skills

Furthermore, you will most likely have:

• Have a degree in Marketing or Business administration
• Hold min. 3- 5 Years of experience in the FMCG sector
• You have preferably 4+ years of experience in Brand / Channel Category building.
• You understand your customer's value chains, and are used to working with consumer pricing, promotions and knows when to push or pull

Shape the Future of Dairy

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to producing high-quality products while championing sustainability and innovation. We're passionate about people and our planet, striving to unleash the full potential in each of us. Our goal is to make healthy dairy nutrition and good food habits accessible to all. Join us at Arla Foods and become part of a worldwide cooperative dedicated to making a significant impact on the planet and steering the dairy industry towards a sustainable future.

We are devoted to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. Diversity and collaboration are key to our success, propelling us to new heights in the dairy industry.

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