Category & Product Manager

WHO ARE WE? Iconic British brand ghd is a global leader in high end professional hair styling tools and the UK’s number one recommended styling brand. Loved by stylists and consumers, loved by press, and loved by the people that work for the brand! Merging science and innovation, with luxury beauty and style; ghd combines cutting edge technologies and beautiful designs to create the most technically advanced hair tools in the world. ghd tools deliver “safer for hair” heat styling that have become an essential part of the daily lives of professional hair stylists and consumers globally. Renowned for game changing innovation and superior performance, at ghd we are on a mission to transform lives with the power of a good hair day! ABOUT THIS ROLE As Category & Product Manager, you will play a pivotal role in delivering the UK&I category strategy for key product categories. Working within the strategic direction, you will drive execution across key product categories, ensuring product launches, category activations and growth initiatives are delivered effectively and achieve their commercial objectives. Using consumer insights, market intelligence and performance data, you will identify opportunities to optimise category performance, support revenue and profitability growth, and enhance market share. Collaborating closely with Commercial, Marketing, Ecommerce, Finance, Supply Chain and Global teams, you will act as the bridge between strategy and execution, ensuring ghd's category ambitions are brought to life through outstanding delivery and cross-functional partnership. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded category professional who enjoys turning strategy into action, managing complex projects and delivering measurable business results within a fast-paced, premium consumer brand environment. LOCATION This role will be based in our London (Soho) office, and we offer a hybrid working pattern of 3 days in the office and 2 days WFH. JOB ROLE AND RESPONSIBILTIES Category & Commercial Delivery • Deliver category plans and initiatives in line with UK&I strategic priorities. • Drive execution of category growth plans to achieve sales, profit and market share objectives. • Monitor commercial performance, identify risks and opportunities and recommend actions to improve results. • Support the achievement of category revenue, margin and profitability targets. • Ensure category activity is aligned to wider commercial, marketing and business objectives. • Provide regular reporting and performance updates to stakeholders. Product & Launch Management • Lead the UK&I commercial execution of new product launches. • Develop launch plans that maximise commercial performance across all channels. • Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful implementation of category and product initiatives. • Support product lifecycle management by identifying opportunities to optimise range performance. • Partner with Global teams to ensure product plans are executed effectively within the UK&I market. Consumer & Market Insights • Analyse consumer, retailer and market data to identify growth opportunities. • Monitor competitor activity, emerging trends and category performance. • Translate insights into practical recommendations that enhance execution and commercial performance. • Maintain a strong understanding of category dynamics and changing consumer behaviours. • Support business planning through forecasting, performance analysis and market evaluation. Retail & Customer Development • Develop compelling category recommendations and growth stories for retail partners. • Support ranging, assortment and category activation initiatives. • Collaborate with Sales and Commercial teams to maximise category opportunities across key accounts. • Help identify opportunities to improve category visibility, conversion and overall retail performance. • Provide category expertise that supports retailer engagement and commercial decision making. Cross-Functional Leadership • Lead projects and initiatives across Marketing, Sales, Ecommerce, Finance and Supply Chain teams. • Build strong stakeholder relationships and ensure alignment around category priorities. • Coordinate delivery of the annual category activation plan. • Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance category performance and execution. • Act as a trusted category expert within the UK&I organisation. REQUIREMETS & KEY ATTRIBUTES Essential • We're looking for a commercially focused category professional who enjoys converting strategy into action and delivering strong business performance. • Experience within Category Management, Product Management, Trade Marketing, Commercial Strategy, Ecommerce or a related commercial function. • Strong commercial awareness and understanding of key business performance drivers. • Experience managing category, product or commercial initiatives within a fast-paced consumer environment. • Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and identify opportunities for growth. • Experience using consumer, shopper and market insights to support commercial recommendations. • Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills. • Strong project management and organisational capability. • Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver against deadlines. • Excellent presentation and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate complex data, insights and recommendations in a clear and compelling way. • Experience presenting category performance, commercial opportunities and business recommendations to senior stakeholders. Desirable • Experience within beauty, premium consumer goods, FMCG, retail or consumer electronics sectors. • Exposure to new product launches and go-to-market planning. • Experience using Circana, Nielsen, Kantar or similar market data sources. • Experience working within a matrix or international organisation. VALUES We at ghd are proudly committed to our Company Values and aim to attract and retain employees who live our Values. • Collaborative – We work together to create the extraordinary. • Creative – We foster creativity & excellence to create value for our brands and business. • Courageous – We are agile, entrepreneurial & we own our future. • Connected – We stay connected and ensure we are always consumer first. 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