The backbone of a successful CR business is continuous improvement underpinned with effective management and first-class execution. It is pivotal to remaining competitive in the retail environment. The purpose of this role will be to manage assigned Tier Two categories for the CR UK business. This will require best-in-class category management skills with the effective use of the 4Ps - Product (i.e. Range), Place (i.e. Merchandising), Pricing & Promotions. The successful candidate will be required to build extensive knowledge of their categories and the wider dynamics of the retail environment. He/she will be expected to define, shape, manage and monitor their categories; working with internal and external stakeholders to optimise an ever-evolving offer whilst delivering against business targets. Pivotal to the role will be interaction with FMCG suppliers, negotiating then managing the execution of annual Joint Business Plans.

The position holder will support the broader Category Management Team to drive overall sales and profit. This will take the form of support with KPI reporting and dashboards, detailed analysis and frontline feedback consolidation. He/she will undertake administrative tasks needed to ensure the successful operation of all UK categories (incl. but not limited to system-based functions such as product and promotional set-up and production of site comms). Furthermore, in the culture of continuous improvement, the Junior Category Manager (JCM) will help to identify and eliminate unnecessary complexity in our processes, set up and reporting.

Due to the scope of work, a Junior Category Manager must have commercial acumen and robust analytical skills combined with stakeholder management skills, a process driven mindset and close attention to detail. There are regular timelines that he/she will need to deliver activities against to ensure that incremental sales, revenue or cost saving efficiencies can be activated across the UK retail business. The role will need to form clear and robust ways of working with each of their CR colleagues, Sales, Finance, Suppliers and Supply Chain partners

UK retail channels are evolving at a fast pace with supermarkets or other competitors entering the convenience channel. To become the preferred convenience retailer in the mobility channel, Shell UK must have best practices in place that put our service stations and retailers at a competitive advantage. The Junior Category Manager Core must be able to deliver against a wide range of KPIs, to continuously assess their category performance both in Shell and the wider market and to support their peers in day-to-day tasks that deliver a continuous step-change in business performance

Dimensions: The Shell UK retail business has a company owned presence of over 525 service stations. As a Non-Fuel Retail business, CR UK sources goods and services across a broad spectrum of FMCG categories. It works to a business model in which Shell does not take stock ownership but works with contracted organisations who offer an integrated service. This will include the procurement and distribution of goods and services out to Shell UK company owned service stations.

CR UK has a core offer of products and services complemented with a food-for-now proposition (JOdbS & Costa Express), showcased on Shell Select stations. This is enhanced with a food-for-later and top-up convenience offer developed in close collaboration with alliance partners (Waitrose & Budgens). To drive long term sustainable growth, the business is focused on developing an ever-evolving offer that satisfies the needs of a diverse customer base. Each service station has to provide customers with the best mobility offer and must cater to customers with different retail shopping missions.

Critical to the health of a CR business is a continuous programme of improvement. The NFR 50:50 growth aspirations of the broader Shell organisation cannot be maximised without a constant pursuit of profitable excellence in CR execution. The Junior Category Manager will be responsible for ensuring such excellence through provision of category management responsibilities for assigned categories and in supporting UK Category Managers, allowing the broader team(s) to optimise performance and all growth opportunities.

Key accountabilities include but are not limited to:

• Demonstrate clear understanding of category management fundamentals (range, merchandising, pricing & promotions)
• Support CM Team to optimise untapped revenue opportunities across the full spectrum of assigned CR categories and services; ensuring sales, margin, income streams and cost reductions are maximised
• Deliver KPI reporting to ensure that all CR categories are performing in line with T&R targets and contractual requirements (incl. but not limited to weekly sales reporting, category deep dive analysis, promotional effectiveness and ad hoc reporting)
• Undertake scenario analytics and cause & effect modelling on range change impact to sales, volume, £margin, %margin, and basket affinities
• Act as CM Team focal point to support product and promotional set up, supply chain queries and processing of payments from or to suppliers (incl. contact point for Global SUPIP Tool)
• Ensure that best-in-class category management principles and processes are applied to all assigned tier two categories; delivering enhanced performance results on a continuous basis
• Develop and implement UK strategies for assigned categories within the context of the UK NFR Plan, Global Category Strategies and UK Retail priorities
• Meet short to medium term financial expectations whilst providing long term growth platforms and formulating successful marketing or retail execution strategies
• Define category vision and role for all assigned categories within UK proposition
• Develop all-encompassing strategies for all assigned UK categories; creating compatible roadmaps that encompass the full commercial mix of range, merchandising, promotions and price
• Develop and implement range plans for assigned categories (incl. definition of sub-categories, product selection, identification of appropriate suppliers)
• Develop and implement promotional plans for assigned categories (incl. effective use of differing mechanics such as multi-buy or trial-based mechanics)
• Develop and implement appropriate seasonal or event driven activities to maximise incremental sales and revenue (incl. identification of untapped seasonal and event driven trading opportunities)
• Capitalise on cross-category opportunities
• Formulate plan for entrance into new and relevant range segments to accelerate growth
• Track developments in the market and benchmark Shell performance using market data; spot emerging trends within the competitive landscape or new category opportunities that can be executed in Shell UK
• Take full P&L ownership for assigned tier two categories; accountable for delivering sales and revenue targets
• Measure, track and report financial performance against the annual commercial targets; ensuring that the category is performing in line with both T&R and JBP contractual requirements
• Work with CR SLT and Category Managers to complete annual T&R forecasting and phasing requirements
• Undertake constant review of agreed KPIs (incl. weekly sales reporting, deep dive analysis, promotional effectiveness and ad hoc reporting)
• Review overall performance on a continuous basis using extensive use of internal and external data sources; unlocking growth potential through understanding of consumer needs or shopper missions
• Provide an agile response when needed to deliver against a bespoke data request or sales driving activities (i.e. range, promotion or initiative based)
• Act as principal contact for FMCG Suppliers and Supply Chain Partners for assigned tier two categories
• Manage the Shell relationship with suppliers
• Drive suppliers to deliver against short, medium and long-term targets (incl. financial requirements, category and equipment development, promotional management)
• Undertake all required financial negotiations including annual JBP and promotional bonuses
• Support product and promotional set up, invoice processing and regular reporting
• Work with suppliers to develop cohesive marketing and promotional plans designed to drive sales for NPD launches or support core range in-store; targeting core customer needs and increase basket spend whilst growing penetration and number of visits to store
• Establish a multi-functional relationship across different levels of the UK retail business
• Ensure clear, concise and appropriate timed communication of range, promotions and new initiatives to colleagues, cross-functional depts, retailers and customers.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of frontline requirements whilst ensuring continuous improvement of the UK CR proposition and excellent execution
• Provide category and range recommendations to retailers based on consumer segmentation; communicating reasons to believe to both retailers and customers

Direct experience or a clear understanding of Category Management and the Convenience Retail business will be a clear advantage in any application. The following requirements will form a key part of the evaluation and candidate selection process for this role:

• Result driven mindset; able to deliver against or support delivery of stretching business targets
• Commercial acumen; good understanding of sales, margin and profitability metrics, supported with understanding of all factors that can influence performance
• Negotiations skills; demonstrable negotiation skills
• Analytical skills; robust analytical skills demonstrable across different tools with high attention to detail, experience of using SAP Business Objects would be a strong advantage
• Insights Orientated; rounded understanding of the dynamics of the shopper and the retailer, underpinned by a deep consumer led mindset
• Positive self-starter; able to act as an advocate for change, seeking constant business or process improvements
• Strong relationship management skills; able to adapt approach to different audiences or circumstances
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to communicate, engage, influence or challenge different stakeholders where required
• Collaborative; able to work across multiple external and internal touch points, an effective team player and contributor
• Agility; able to respond at speed to changing business demands, reacting to challenging or unforeseen circumstances in a calm and measured manner, solving a problem firsthand if one should arise
• Resilience; up for a challenge and able to prioritize workload when under pressure from different stakeholders
• Attention to detail; strict attention to detail must be applied to all work; ensuring all tasks are accomplished within the timescales specified
• Relevant experience; first-hand experience and understanding of Category Management, as well FMCG or direct consumer goods retailing experience is a key advantage in general
• Strong IT Skills; high degree of competence in all MS Windows packages,