Head of Grocery Sales, Category and Innovation

About the role

A well-established food manufacturer with chilled and value-added protein brands, supplying branded and private label products across grocery, foodservice and QSR channels, is recruiting a Head of Grocery Sales, Category and Innovation in Sydney. Reporting directly to the CEO, the role owns total retail sales performance across branded and private label portfolios and leads a team of six direct reports within a group of 15 people covering sales, category, customer service, NPD and brand activation.

Key responsibilities

• Own the annual sales budget, profit targets and multi-year commercial strategy for the retail channel
• Lead joint business planning with major retailers to secure ranging, shelf space, promotional investment and innovation
• Set category strategy, ranging, pricing architecture and trade spend ROI
• Lead the innovation and renovation pipeline end to end, from ideation through launch and post-launch review
• Partner with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain and Technical so commercial plans are executed well
• Coach and grow a high-performing team, with succession and capability building built in

Required profile

• 10+ years in senior commercial leadership in FMCG, food manufacturing or grocery retail
• A proven record of profitable growth with the major Australian grocers
• Tertiary qualification in business, commerce, marketing, food science or a related field
• Experience in chilled, meat, poultry, smallgoods or ready-to-eat products is highly regarded

Required skills

• Category management, innovation pipelines and joint business planning
• Strong P&L, trade spend and pricing capability
• Data-led approach

The role is advertised by the recruiter Six Degrees Executive, who invites interested candidates to contact them for a confidential conversation.