Category Manager - PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Job Title: Category Manager - PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Location: Midlands
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 (DOE) plus car and package

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Category Manager to join an established and rapidly growing business within the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) sector.

This is a strategic, hands-on role where you will have ownership of the overall portfolio strategy and performance for assigned product categories.

The Category Manager will work to drive category sales, margin, and growth, managing product assortment and supplier negotiations to ensure optimal terms, competitive pricing, and exceptional product offerings to customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Category Strategy: Define and execute a category strategy for your assigned PPE product categories, excluding exclusive brand development, driving sales, margin, and profitable growth.
• Product Assortment: Develop and manage assortment strategies for your product categories, ensuring the right products are selected to meet customer demand.
• Market Research: Stay ahead of market trends and competitor activity to identify new sourcing opportunities, product ideas, and content strategies.
• Supplier Management: Select and manage suppliers for existing and new products. Negotiate key terms including pricing, rebates, contributions, marketing and merchandising support, and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with key stakeholders, including Sales, Marketing, Product, and Digital teams, to create cohesive, omnichannel strategies that deliver the best customer experience across all platforms.
• Pricing & Compliance: Work closely with SMEs on competitive pricing strategies and ensure product compliance, certification, and regulatory requirements are met.
• Product Lifecycle Management: Manage the order cycle, stocking policies, and product life cycle, including excess stock and obsolescence strategies.
• Category Marketing & Digital Strategy: Collaborate with the marketing team on category marketing plans and leverage digital channels (PPC, Google PLAs) to drive product visibility and sales.
• Global Engagement: Represent the category team across global regions, engaging with international suppliers and teams to drive category performance.

Key Relationships:

• Trading Manager PPE
• Sales Leaders (National & Regional)
• Marketing Team
• Pricing & Master Data Teams
• Supply Chain Team
• Technical Safety & Compliance Teams
• External Suppliers and Partners

Role Requirements:

• Experience: Proven experience in managing PPE or industrial supplies categories. Ideally, you'll have a background in MRO product management, merchandising, or technical sales, and have demonstrated success in product strategy, supplier negotiations, and category growth.
• Qualifications: MCIPS qualification preferred.
• Skills:
  • Strong project management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
  • Proven ability to negotiate with suppliers and manage commercial relationships.
  • Experience in driving category performance and execution through a sales organisation.
  • Ability to translate complex data into clear insights and actionable strategies.
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience presenting to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines effectively.
• Global Travel: Ability to travel globally for up to 2-4 weeks per year, as required.

Why Join?

• Salary of £50,000 - £60,000 (DOE) plus car and package
• Hybrid working environment
• Dynamic work environment within a fast-paced and growing industry.
• Opportunity to make a significant impact within an established business with global reach.
• Work alongside experienced teams in a collaborative environment focused on growth and innovation.

If you're a results-driven Category Manager with a passion for PPE and industrial supplies, and you thrive in a fast-paced environment, we'd love to hear from you.