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Category Director (Gold Portfolio) at Pernod Ricard · Johannesb…
Skills
Job Description
Job Purpose The Category Director is responsible for leading the Gold Business Unit end‑to‑end, owning category strategy, P&L delivery, growth agenda, and execution excellence across the full consumer and customer journey. The role is accountable for delivering sustainable topline growth, profit optimisation, market leadership, and long‑term brand equity through superior consumer insight, commercial decision‑making, and cross‑functional leadership.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Category & Business Unit Leadership
Own and lead the Gold BU strategy, aligning global ambition with African market realities.
Define clear business objectives, growth levers, and category priorities across brands, channels, and consumer segments.
Act as the single point of accountability for BU performance, trade‑offs, and decision‑making.
Translate strategy into clear executional roadmaps across Marketing, Sales, Trade Marketing, Supply Chain and Finance. Full P&L Ownership & Financial Stewardship
Own and manage the Gold BU P&L, delivering revenue growth, margin optimisation, and cost efficiency.
Lead A&P, pricing, promotion, mix, and innovation investment decisions to maximise ROI.
Track, forecast, and course‑correct performance against annual targets.
Lead pricing architecture, promotional intensity, and value ladder strategies in collaboration with Sales and Finance.
Ensure disciplined budget governance and financial control.
Consumer, Shopper & Market Insight Leadership
Own the consumer demand map for the Gold category.
Leverage data, insights, and analytics to identify growth opportunities, risks, and whitespace.
Drive deep understanding of consumer, shopper, customer, and competitive dynamics.
Embed insight‑led decision‑making across portfolio, innovation, pricing, and activation. Brand, Portfolio & Innovation Stewardship
Lead the Gold brand portfolio strategy: roles, positioning, equity building and value creation.
Own the innovation and renovation pipeline, from concept through to commercialization and scale.
Translate global brand strategies into locally relevant brand‑market execution plans.
Ensure brand consistency, relevance, and competitive differentiation across all touchpoints. Integrated Commercial & Marketing Execution
Set direction for integrated brand activation, ensuring alignment across media, digital, trade, PR, and experiential platforms.
Drive excellence across priority touchpoints, ensuring a seamless consumer and shopper experience.
Oversee campaign performance, post‑launch reviews and optimization.
Ensure strong collaboration with Agencies, Creative Partners, and Media Houses. Cross‑Functional & Stakeholder Leadership
Lead a complex internal ecosystem, partnering closely with Sales, Trade Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Production and Regulatory.
Influence and align senior stakeholders around BU priorities and trade‑offs.
Act as a key liaison with Global Brand Owners, ensuring alignment and mutual value creation.
Manage external partners to deliver high‑quality output within agreed budgets and timelines. People Leadership & Capability Building
Build, lead, and inspire high‑performing teams within the Gold BU.
Recruit, develop, and retain top talent.
Coach teams on commercial acumen, brand leadership, and execution excellence.
Foster a strong performance, accountability, and collaboration culture.
Key Competencies and Experience Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Commerce or related field.
10+ years’ experience across category leadership, portfolio management, or general management roles.
Proven experience with P&L ownership, pricing, and commercial decision‑making.
Strong track record leading senior teams and managing agencies.
Knowledge, Skills & Attributes
Strong general management and commercial acumen.
Deep expertise in consumer insight, brand building, and integrated activation.
Advanced analytical and financial capability.
Strategic thinker with strong execution bias.
Influential leader with excellent stakeholder management skills.
Highly collaborative, agile, and results‑driven.
Job Posting End Date:
Target Hire Date: 2026-09-01
Target End Date: