Category Manager, RS Pro

Category Manager
Available Locations (Hybrid): UK (London, Corby, Manchester), Germany (Frankfurt), Italy (Milan), Latvia (Riga)
The RS Pro team have an opening for a Category Manager

The Category Manager develops and executes the Own Brand strategy for their aligned product technologies through product knowledge, sourcing, negotiation, bringing the goods to market, reporting and end of life range decisions.

You'll be working in close collaboration with the RS PRO team in Compliance, Quality, Ethical Sourcing and Sustainability, the global sourcing team, the local regional stakeholders and the data team – ensuring to deliver profitable growth, accelerated customer acquisition and superior ROI.

With a mandate covering RS the role operates internationally across EMEA and APAC regions as well as globally in conjunction with strategic supplier relationships.

What you will be doing:

• Delivering the RS PRO NPI Road Map, strategies and business plans
• Conducting supplier range reviews and engagement to maximise growth
• Ensuring the product range is fully aligned to customer needs
• Delivering product range growth by supplier and product segment
• Effective lifecycle management
• Effective use of Data insights to maximise customer penetration

• Deliver KPIs for managed suppliers and technologies:

• Revenue

• Margin
• Return on Investment
• Customer acquisition
• Number of products sold
• New product introduction revenue
• Inventory health
• Own Brand (RS Pro) share of category
• Influencing NES and NPS scores

What we are looking for from you, in order to be successful in this role:

• Category Management experience (Own-Brand experience would be an advantage)
• Prior experience managing suppliers, and negotiating win-win outcomes
• An understanding of product lifecycle and new product introduction, preferably in own brand.
• Product range knowledge within Industrial Automation, Facilities Maintenance or Electronics
• Strong commercial acumen, including interpreting and understanding large data-sets
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Strong analytical skillset and strong attention to detail
• Experience of online trading and digital tools
• A collaborative team player
• Positive can-do attitude, takes ownership and results oriented
• Strong influencing skills and ability to negotiate with suppliers.
• Operational problem solver and good process management capability
• Experience working with leading suppliers / brands
• Experience of working in a matrix and cross-cultural environment
• Experience of working with an online digital toolset
• Experience of working in a Commercial environment

We are RS Group:
At RS we've been solving engineering problems for over 80 years: big ones, small ones, easy and difficult ones. We turn the 'what ifs' into the 'why nots', the impossible into the possible.

Our purpose? Making amazing happen for a better world.

We offer service and product solutions. We send out a parcel every 2 seconds, to over 130 countries. We provide over 700,000 in-stock and over 3 million unstocked products to more than 1.2 million customers.

We want people like you, as you are curious about things, you like doing things differently and also in a human way with empathy. Because that's exactly how we partner with people – our customers, suppliers, colleagues and communities – to solve problems.

We'll also invest in your development and wellbeing – because building a more diverse and inclusive culture, being ethical, responsible and committed to our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) action plan is at the heart of everything we do.

Come and join us and over 9000 employees worldwide – and we'll help you to think big, do more and unleash your brilliance, so you do amazing things too.

_Pro