Category Executive Maternity Cover

Location: Uxbridge, West London
Read on to find out what you will need to succeed in this position, including skills, qualifications, and experience.
Department: Category - Brands - Meat & Plant Based
Way of Working: Office-based

Looking to Start Your FMCG Category Career?

Have you recently completed a degree and gained experience through a Category, Marketing, Commercial, Shopper Insight, or FMCG placement year? Or perhaps you've completed a graduate programme within FMCG, Retail, or the Food Industry and are looking for your next challenge?

We're looking for a Category Executive to join our Brands team on a 12-month maternity cover contract, supporting the growth of exciting food categories across some of the UK's leading retailers.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience in Category Management, working closely with commercial teams, customers, and internal stakeholders to turn shopper and consumer insights into winning category strategies.

What You'll Be Doing

• Building relationships with retail customers, including Buyers and Merchandisers.
• Analysing shopper, consumer, and market data to identify category opportunities.
• Supporting category reviews, range recommendations, and customer presentations.
• Creating engaging insight-led reports and category stories.
• Monitoring category performance and identifying growth opportunities.
• Acting as the voice of the shopper within the business.
• Working closely with Commercial, Marketing, Brand, and Customer teams to support category growth.

About You

We're keen to hear from candidates who have:

? A degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Food, Consumer Behaviour, or a related subject.

? Completed a placement year or graduate programme within:

• Category Management
• Shopper Marketing
• Marketing
• Commercial
• FMCG
• Food Manufacturing
• Retail

? Strong analytical skills and confidence working with data.

? Excellent communication and presentation skills.

? Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills.

? A genuine interest in consumer behaviour, retail trends, and category growth.

? The ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience with Nielsen, Circana (IRI), Kantar, or similar data sources.
• Exposure to UK grocery retailers.
• FMCG, food, branded, or plant-based category experience.

Why Join Pilgrim's Europe?

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your career within one of Europe's leading food businesses, gaining exposure to Category, Commercial, Marketing, and Customer teams while working with major UK retailers.

Benefits Include

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Pension scheme
• Employee discount platform
• Ongoing training and development
• Exposure to senior stakeholders and retail customers
• Excellent career progression opportunities across Category, Commercial, and Marketing functions

Whether you're coming from a placement year, graduate scheme, or an entry-level FMCG role, this is an excellent opportunity to build a successful career in Category Management within a leading food manufacturer. xwwtmva

Apply today and help shape the future of our Brands - Meat & Plant Based categories!