To secure the future growth of the different Consumer Goods categories where Danone Belux is present with its products, we are looking for a Head of Category & Shopper Management. In this role, you will lead both Category Management and Shopper Marketing teams, responsible for the design & implementation of growth vision, winning category development strategies, and impactful shopper activation plans across all our channels (Retail, AFH, eCom, drug, ethnic, health) and customers. Through strong internal & external engagement, you will enrich internal strategy development to realize sustainable growth for our categories & brands. Our ideal candidate has a strong expertise and successful track record in topline strategy, category management/shopper marketing & people management, excellent cross-functional collaboration & stakeholder management skills, and a solid customer management experience. 

About the role & your key responsibilities 

Category Development: 

• Build top-notch category growth visions, strategies & plans to drive future growth of our categories & brands. 
• Leverage global and EU expertise to enrich and adapt the local agenda, make it future-fit (Danone way-of-selling, shopper studies, IT & data revolution). 
• Foster strong category growth partnerships with key customers, through acknowledged category, customer & JBP expertise and compelling tailored customer-facing category growth stories, establishing Danone as category captain within its consumer goods categories (Dairy, Plant-Based, Waters, Core Milks and First Diet). 
• Build strong internal x-functional connections with Strategic Planning & Foresight, marketing leads, commercial leads and their teams to develop category growth strategies grounded in consumer, shopper, customer & channel insights. 
• Provide thought leadership in category management and share personal expertise internally. 
• Strengthen the bonds with NL Category & Shopper team, leveraging MCO strategy. 

Shopper Marketing & Activation: 

• Define and implement shopper marketing strategies that drive conversion and loyalty across all channels (Retail, AFH, eCom, etc.). 
• Lead the development of impactful shopper campaigns and activations aligned with brand and category priorities. 
• Ensure excellence in in-store execution and visibility through close collaboration with Field Sales and Marketing teams. 
• Translate shopper insights into actionable plans that enhance the shopper experience and deliver incremental growth. 
• Manage relationships with external agencies and partners to deliver best-in-class shopper programs. 

People Leadership: 

• Lead and coach a combined team of Category Managers and Shopper Marketing Managers to ensure they develop the right growth strategies for their respective categories & customers. 
• Coach them to improve performance & support professional growth. 
• Drive a culture of performance, innovation, and cross-functional teamwork. 
• Manage people managers within the team. 

Internal Strategy & Governance: 

• Support cross-enterprise business planning calendar definition led by SIA, driving continual improvement and increasing cross-functional collaboration. 
• Develop and maintain a solid category performance insights sharing approach, feeding the organization with relevant category and shopper trends & market developments. 
• Implement a customer and shopper data governance model to leverage the added value of data to the max and elevate commercial opportunities into internal strategy and execution. 

• You hold a Master's degree, preferably in Economics, Commercial Engineering, or related field. 
• You have a very solid background in category management and shopper marketing, combined with relevant people management experience. 
• You think strategically and formulate effective strategies. 
• You have strong analytical skills, integrating consumer, shopper, and customer insights to arrive at actionable conclusions. 
• You are passionate for driving business results & striving for excellence. 
• You master excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust with internal & external stakeholders. 
• You are a strong people leader, with the ability to lead, coach, motivate and develop others. 

At Danone, we guarantee that you can simply be yourself. We believe that it's up to you to define the way you work, to develop yourself, to progress. With us, you'll work in an exciting, complex and challenging environment. This is how you will create new opportunities! 

Join our movement for a more sustainable world. One Planet One Health BY YOU. 

Your next steps 

It’s simple – hit the “apply” button now.  

You have until December 17th to apply, so waste no time! In order to comply with GDPR we can’t process your personal data without your given consent, so please apply directly via this website.  

Good luck, we can’t wait to meet you! 

* all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status