Category Manager

Category Manager | London - Hybrid, 2 days per week in the office | Competitive Salary + Benefits

About the Role

The opportunity

Own the strategy and performance of your experience categories across Buyagift and Red Letter Days, part of Moonpig Group. Shape a compelling range, grow sales and margin, and build partnerships that give customers more reasons to choose us.

Commercial ownership

You’ll define category plans and turn customer insight, market trends and commercial data into clear priorities for range and partner growth. You’ll balance hands-on trading with longer-term opportunities, testing new experiences, formats and price points.

Your team

You’ll report to the Head of Partner Growth and line-manage one Account Manager supporting your categories. You’ll own overall category results, set their priorities and targets, and take responsibility for their delivery and development. Working across Partner Acquisition, Marketing, Product and Trading, you’ll turn category plans into results.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy and Growth

• Define and own category strategy, setting clear sales, margin, range and partner growth goals and prioritising opportunities using customer demand and commercial potential.
• Identify supply gaps and opportunities across selection, regional coverage and price points. Test new products and formats, measure results and scale what works.
• Agree acquisition priorities and partner requirements with Partner Acquisition, focusing recruitment on opportunities that strengthen the category proposition.

Partner Management and Negotiation

• Build trusted relationships with established and emerging partners, using regular business reviews to agree joint growth plans and address performance gaps.
• Negotiate pricing, commission and exclusivity terms that balance customer value, margin and sustainable partner growth.
• Work with partners to launch distinctive experiences and propositions that differentiate our offer.

Trading and Range Performance

• Lead seasonal planning, launches and campaigns across key moments such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas, working with Marketing, Product and Trading.
• Use Excel and commercial reports to analyse sales, margin, conversion and customer satisfaction; understand performance gaps and take corrective action.
• Improve product content and merchandising with relevant teams, balancing immediate trading opportunities with longer-term innovation.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Set the Account Manager’s objectives and targets in line with category plans.
• Review their contribution to category results and agree corrective actions where needed, retaining accountability for overall performance.
• Agree account ownership and decision-making responsibilities.
• Hold regular one-to-ones and performance reviews, give specific feedback and maintain an individual development plan, coaching commercial analysis, partner management and negotiation.
• Align priorities, owners and deadlines across teams.
• Give clear updates on results and risks, resolve blockers and escalate with recommendations when support is needed.
• Champion commercial thinking, creativity and pace across Partner Growth; deputise for the Head of Partner Growth when required.

About You

• You’re commercially driven and curious, combining sound judgement with the ability to turn insight into action.
• You enjoy building partner relationships, negotiating value and taking ownership of results in a fast-moving environment.
• You may already manage people or be ready to step up, having coached colleagues or led shared work.
• You’ll balance your own commercial responsibilities with developing the Account Manager’s confidence, capability and delivery.
• The role also offers opportunities to broaden your commercial leadership and explore development across Moonpig Group.

Essential Skills and Experience

• A track record in category management, buying or commercial partnerships, with evidence of delivering sales or margin growth.
• Ability to translate customer insight and commercial analysis into clear range, partner and growth priorities.
• Strong negotiation, relationship-building and influencing skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Confidence using Excel and reporting tools to investigate performance, evaluate opportunities and recommend action.
• Strong prioritisation and follow-through, with the ability to deliver at pace as trading conditions change.
• Experience managing people or evidence of coaching, mentoring or leading shared initiatives, with readiness to take responsibility for another person’s targets and development.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience in marketplaces, e-commerce, experiences, gifting, travel, hospitality or leisure.
• Experience in a high-growth company or established consumer brand with demanding commercial targets and high execution standards.
• Experience developing differentiated ranges, exclusive propositions or joint partner growth plans.

Interview Process

Stage 1: TA Screen - 20-30 minutes.

Stage 2: Hiring Manager Screen - 45-60 minutes.

Stage 3: Final Interview - 60 minutes with the Hiring Manager and a senior stakeholder, including a task presentation.

Our process may vary depending on role and availability. We keep candidates informed of any changes.