Role Title: Foods PH Category Strategy Senior Assistant Manager – Future Core
Scope: Philippines
Location: BGC
Terms & Conditions: Full time
ABOUT UNILEVER
Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. You will work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues who provide mentorship and inspiration so that you can become a better you.
JOB PURPOSE
As the Category Strategy & Insights Manager for Future Channels, you will be responsible for driving category growth and strategic decision-making across proximity and emerging retail channels for total foods, with a key focus on Lady’s Choice, Best Foods, and Knorr. You will develop insights-driven strategies and execution plans tailored for neighborhood stores, convenience stores, health-focused retailers, discounters, grocery stores, public markets, bakeries, meat shops, and eCommerce. Your work will shape the category vision, shopper engagement, and retail execution in these dynamic and evolving channels.
WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE
Category Strategy & Channel Design
- Develop a deep understanding of consumer needs and identify potential market disruptors.
- Develop and implement a category growth strategy for proximity and emerging channels, leveraging data-driven insights.
- Define channel-specific category roles, growth levers, and competitive positioning for Lady’s Choice, Best Foods, and Knorr.
- Build tailored route-to-market and execution models for traditional trade, specialty, and eCommerce platforms.
Shopper & Consumer Insights
- Analyze shopper behavior, consumption trends, and competitive dynamics in each channel, including digital purchasing trends in eCommerce.
- Lead market research, data analytics, and shopper studies to drive channel-specific activation plans.
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations for portfolio, pricing, promotions, and placement.
Commercial Planning & Execution
- Design and execute channel-focused promotional and activation plans to maximize category growth across traditional and digital platforms.
- Partner with sales, marketing, and trade teams to drive assortment optimization, visibility, and merchandising strategies.
- Identify white space opportunities and innovation needs for Lady’s Choice, Best Foods, Knorr, and the total foods portfolio.
eCommerce & Digital Acceleration
- Develop category-led strategies for growing online sales, ensuring shopper-centric execution in eCommerce.
- Collaborate with digital and eCommerce teams to optimize searchability, content, and online promotional strategies.
- Leverage data analytics and performance tracking to enhance online visibility and conversion rates.
Stakeholder Collaboration & Capability Building
- Work closely with sales, marketing, revenue growth management, and finance teams to ensure aligned execution.
- Partner with retailers, distributors, key account managers, and eCommerce platforms to drive category-first thinking in negotiations.
- Develop best practices, insights tools, and reporting frameworks to elevate data-driven decision-making across all future channels.
Experiences & Qualifications
- Background in Category Management, Trade Marketing, Shopper Insights, or Sales Strategy, preferably in FMCG or food categories.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with expertise in data analytics, market research, and trends forecasting.
- Experience working with proximity and emerging channels, including traditional trade, modern trade, and eCommerce.
- Ability to translate insights into strategic execution plans and drive alignment across commercial teams.
- Strong stakeholder management, influencing, and storytelling skills to engage cross-functional teams.
We highly encourage applicants to exclude information on age, gender, and school/s in view of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Unilever assesses candidates based on skills, performance, experience and leadership.
Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.
What We Do
Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best.
Our portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. We produce world-leading brands including Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s and Omo, alongside trusted local names and innovative-forward thinking brands like Ben & Jerry’s, The Dollar Shave Club and Dermalogica.
Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you’ll be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you’ll channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you.
