Ice Cream Category Development Manager

Company Description

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000 dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

Diversity Statement

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

About the Role:

We are looking for a Category Development Manager to join our Ice Cream Division and drive the strategic development and execution of category growth plans across geographies and channels. In this role, you will act as the key commercial link between Global Category Strategy and local Sales teams, ensuring the activation of strategic priorities and the development of shopper-centric solutions that deliver value for Ferrero, our customers and consumers.

Main Responsibilities:

As Category Development Manager, you will be responsible for translating global category strategies into actionable commercial plans, ensuring alignment across markets and channels. You will lead the development of global brand activation guidelines, support portfolio performance in mature markets, and define rollout strategies for emerging ones.

You will coordinate the innovation pipeline across the Ice Cream portfolio, integrating product, pack and trade considerations. Leveraging shopper insights, you will develop category management and shopper marketing strategies that enhance engagement and conversion across all touchpoints, both online and offline.

You will also play a key role in building group capabilities in category and shopper marketing, fostering customer collaboration and category partnerships. As a people manager, you will lead and develop your team, ensuring motivation, growth and alignment with Ferrero’s values.

Who we are looking for:

You bring around 10 years of experience in category management, trade marketing, or commercial strategy, ideally within the FMCG sector and ideally with experience within the Ice Cream category. You bring a strong understanding of shopper behavior, retail dynamics, and cross-functional collaboration, paired with a strategic and analytical mindset that allows you to influence across functions and geographies, together with experience in managing teams and developing talent.

How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world.