Head of Category & Insights
- london, england, United Kingdom
- Permanent·On-site
- Full time
- £90 - £130 Per Hour
Job Description
About Us
PENSION ENHANCEMENTS UP TO 10% | 4-WEEK SABBATICAL EVERY 5 YEARS | STAFF DISCOUNT | EXTRA HOLIDAY DAY EACH YEAR | We love great craft beer. We want everyone to be as passionate about it as we are - and our central team are vital in this mission. Every single person in our team can shape our future for the better, whether that’s for our people, planet or our incredible beer. Because we expect great things from you, we give great things back. PENSION ENHANCEMENT | We increase our contributions to your pension up to 10% of your salary so together we can properly invest in your future. And, since the statutory amount all businesses pay is 3%, our decision to pay above that shows we’re taking your future seriously. 4-WEEK SABBATICAL | After every 5 years here you will receive an additional 4 weeks off to spend doing whatever you want. STAFF DISCOUNT | 50% off BrewDog Beers/Ciders, Wonderland Cocktails, BrewDog Merchandise, and Soft Drinks, plus 25% off all other menu items in our BrewDog Bars. Crew also get discount on takeaway beer - perfect for taking the bar home. ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY DAYS | For every full year completed up to your 5th year with us we add on one additional day’s leave above and beyond your initial entitlement. You therefore get an extra full week off at 5 years every single year onward to rest up. AND A LOT MORE | Okay, deep breath… enhanced sick pay, healthcare, life assurance, high street retail discounts, employee assistance programmes, enhanced family friendly policies around maternity and paternity leave, DE+I and crew forum groups and an allowance to quality check some beers each month! We’re focused on making sure that we, and future generations, have a planet to brew great beer on. Our industry leading techniques help us create and deliver unique beer whilst doing our bit (and others’) for the environment.
About Us
PENSION ENHANCEMENTS UP TO 10% | 4-WEEK SABBATICAL EVERY 5 YEARS | STAFF DISCOUNT | EXTRA HOLIDAY DAY EACH YEAR | We love great craft beer. We want everyone to be as passionate about it as we are - and our central team are vital in this mission. Every single person in our team can shape our future for the better, whether that’s for our people, planet or our incredible beer. Because we expect great things from you, we give great things back. PENSION ENHANCEMENT | We increase our contributions to your pension up to 10% of your salary so together we can properly invest in your future. And, since the statutory amount all businesses pay is 3%, our decision to pay above that shows we’re taking your future seriously. 4-WEEK SABBATICAL | After every 5 years here you will receive an additional 4 weeks off to spend doing whatever you want. STAFF DISCOUNT | 50% off BrewDog Beers/Ciders, Wonderland Cocktails, BrewDog Merchandise, and Soft Drinks, plus 25% off all other menu items in our BrewDog Bars. Crew also get discount on takeaway beer - perfect for taking the bar home. ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY DAYS | For every full year completed up to your 5th year with us we add on one additional day’s leave above and beyond your initial entitlement. You therefore get an extra full week off at 5 years every single year onward to rest up. AND A LOT MORE | Okay, deep breath… enhanced sick pay, healthcare, life assurance, high street retail discounts, employee assistance programmes, enhanced family friendly policies around maternity and paternity leave, DE+I and crew forum groups and an allowance to quality check some beers each month! We’re focused on making sure that we, and future generations, have a planet to brew great beer on. Our industry leading techniques help us create and deliver unique beer whilst doing our bit (and others’) for the environment.
About The Role
The Head of Category & Insights is responsible for leading BrewDog’s Category & Insights capability across Beer and Beyond Beer, developing a clear category point of view, and translating market, shopper, and customer insights into commercial opportunities that drive category growth and BrewDog’s performance.
About the Role
The Head of Category & Insights is responsible for leading BrewDog’s Category & Insights capability across Beer and Beyond Beer, developing a clear category point of view, and translating market, shopper, and customer insights into commercial opportunities that drive category growth and BrewDog’s performance.
Key Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Thought Leadership
- Develop BrewDog’s category point of view across Beer and Beyond Beer, identifying the trends, growth drivers and opportunities that matter most.
- Translate market, shopper, consumer and competitive insight into clear commercial implications and recommendations.
- Identify and quantify emerging category opportunities and whitespace, building a clear size of prize.
- Build proactive thought leadership that enables BrewDog to lead category conversations, including signature initiatives such as the State of the Craft Beer Nation.
- Provide category evidence and insight to inform portfolio and innovation decisions.
Customer Category Leadership & Tesco
- Lead BrewDog’s Category relationship with Tesco, becoming a trusted partner to its buying and category teams.
- Partner with Tesco Sales to develop category-led growth plans and lead Category input into range reviews, Brand Days and strategic customer planning.
- Identify and influence opportunities across ROS, range, distribution, assortment, space and visibility, supported by robust category and shopper evidence.
- Lead senior Category relationships across other priority customers where required, while coaching Category Managers to strengthen customer influence.
- Ensure BrewDog brings a proactive category point of view to priority customer conversations.
Performance, Insights & Growth Opportunities
- Own the Category performance framework across Beer and Beyond Beer, covering Market Share, ROS, Distribution, Range Productivity and priority shopper measures.
- Establish a disciplined performance rhythm that moves from reporting -> diagnosis -> action, supported by the Category Analyst and Category Managers.
- Lead priority customer and category deep dives, identifying root causes, opportunities and corrective actions — including a clear focus on Tesco performance.
- Build understanding of emerging Beyond Beer categories, shoppers, occasions and competitive dynamics to identify future growth opportunities.
- Measure priority interventions and innovation performance, ensuring learning informs future decisions.
Team Leadership & Category Capability
- Lead, coach and develop the Category & Insights team, establishing clear ownership, priorities and KPIs.
- Build capability across category management, analytics, commercial storytelling and customer influence.
- Develop Category fluency across Beer and Beyond Beer.
- Balance responsive customer requirements with sufficient capacity for proactive category work and strategic projects.
- Ensure the Category Analyst provides the analytical foundation that enables Category Managers to focus on insight, recommendations and customer influence.
Cross-Functional Commercial Leadership
- Partner with Sales, Marketing, Shopper Marketing and RGM to translate category opportunities into integrated commercial plans.
- Provide category input into Price, Pack, Promotion and Portfolio decisions.
- Support priority innovation by bringing category, shopper and customer evidence into proposition development and commercialisation.
- Bring an objective, evidence-led Category perspective to major customer, portfolio and innovation decisions.
Key Relationships - Internal & External
- Category Director, Category & Insights Team, Sales Director, Channel Directors, Key Account Managers, Shopper Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, Beer Marketing, Beyond Beer Marketing, Finance, Innovation, NPD Operations.
- Tesco Buying and Category Teams, priority customer Buying and Category Teams, Customer Space Planning Teams, Circana/NIQ, dunnhumby, Quantium and relevant Category/Insight Agencies.
About You
Qualifications & Specific Training
Essential :
- Advanced knowledge of category management, shopper/category analytics and commercial insight.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills.
- Strong understanding of retailer EPOS, loyalty and category data.
Desirable :
- Category Management Association (CMA) or equivalent Category Management qualification.
- Degree or equivalent qualification in Business, Marketing, Economics, Mathematics or a related discipline, or equivalent commercial experience.
- Experience with retailer space planning tools.
Experience
Essential :
- Significant Category Management / Category Development experience within UK FMCG, operating at Senior Category Manager, Category Lead or equivalent level.
- Proven experience leading category relationships with major UK grocery retailers and influencing senior customer decisions.
- Demonstrable success developing category strategies and growth plans that deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
- Experience leading and developing Category and/or Insights teams.
- Strong experience using market, retailer and shopper insight to identify and quantify opportunities across ROS, distribution, range and space.
- Experience leading strategic customer processes including range reviews, annual planning and JBP/category development.
Desirable :
- Direct experience working with Tesco and dunnhumby.
- Experience within Beer, Alcohol, Beverages or Premium FMCG.
- Experience working across multiple categories and channels, including Convenience, Wholesale and/or On Trade.
- Experience operating as a Category Captain / trusted category advisor.
- Experience providing category or commercial input into portfolio and innovation decisions.
Knowledge
Essential :
- Deep understanding of the UK Grocery landscape and how retailers make range, space and commercial decisions.
- Expert understanding of Category Management principles, retailer category processes and category strategy development.
- Strong understanding of key category performance drivers including Market Share, ROS, Distribution, Range Productivity and Promotional Effectiveness.
- Strong understanding of shopper behaviour and the role of shopper insight in driving category and customer growth.
- Good understanding of Revenue Growth Management principles, including Price, Pack, Promotion and Portfolio.
Desirable :
- Strong understanding of the UK Beer, Craft and Alcohol categories.
- Understanding of Beyond Beer and emerging beverage categories.
- Knowledge of Convenience, Wholesale and On Trade channels.
Skills
Essential :
- Expert user of Circana (IRI) and/or NIQ, with strong experience using retailer EPOS and loyalty datasets including dunnhumby, Quantium, SIP or equivalent.
- Exceptional analytical capability, able to turn complex data into clear insight, commercial recommendations and action.
- Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to identify, prioritise and quantify growth opportunities and size of prize.
- Excellent commercial storytelling, presentation and influencing skills with senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to connect category opportunities to measurable business outcomes.
- Strong people leadership, coaching and capability-development skills.
- Excellent prioritisation, able to balance immediate customer requirements with longer-term strategic priorities.
Desirable :
- Experience with Power BI / Tableau.
- Experience with retailer space-planning tools such as Blue Yonder/JDA or equivalent.
- Familiarity with syndicated household panel data such as Kantar Worldpanel.
Personal Attributes
- Commercially curious with a growth mindset.
- Naturally asks “why?” and “what next?”, rather than simply reporting performance.
- Confident influencing and constructively challenging senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Data-driven but action-oriented.
- Strong relationship builder and people leader.
- Able to simplify complexity into clear commercial recommendations.
- Comfortable balancing collaboration with clear accountability and decision-making.
- Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.
- Self-starter with a bias for action.
- Passionate about winning in category and developing others.
- Curious about Beer, Craft and the broader beverage landscape.
Additional Requirements
- Market Share and Rate of Sale (ROS) performance across priority categories, brands and customers.
- Delivery of distribution, range, space and category growth opportunities.
- Tesco category performance and delivery of agreed customer growth priorities.
- Strength and impact of BrewDog’s category relationships and influence with priority customers.
- Quality and commercial impact of proactive category insight thought leadership and growth recommendations across Beer and Beyond Beer.
- Development and performance of the Category & Insights team, including delivery against agreed functional KPIs.