Trade Category Lead

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Professional seated at a conference table with laptops and a presentation screen in a modern office setting

Job ID:: R-1174026
Date posted:: 02/03/2026
Job Type:: Full time
Job Category:: Customer Development

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive,collaborative,and flexible working environment. Wedon’tbelieve in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE

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.then this role is just for you!

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

The Trade CategoryLeadis responsible fordeveloping and executing category strategies that maximize growth, profitability, and market share across the trade channels. This role partners closely with Sales,Category Strategy Planner, Finance, and Supply Chain tooptimizeproduct assortment, pricing, promotion, and visibility in-store. The Trade Category Manager acts as the category expert, driving insights-based decision-making and trade performance excellence.

WHATYOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Strategy & Planning

Develop annual and quarterly category plans aligned with companyobjectivesand trade channel priorities.

Conduct market analysis to assess trends, competitor activities, consumerbehavior, and channel dynamics.

Identifycategory growth opportunities across GT, wholesalers, and distributors.

Define channel-specific assortment, pricing, and promotion strategies.

Lead the monthly trade briefs and compliance with distributors.

2. Commercial Execution

Lead the execution of category initiatives across channels tooptimizeshelf presence and product availability.

Develop planograms, visibility guidelines, and merchandising standards.

Collaborate with Sales teams to deploy category strategies at the customer and store level.

3. Trade Promotions & Budget Management

Design customer/channel trade calendars that support category goals.

Optimizetrade spend effectiveness throughTOanalysis and promotion performance reviews.

Track and control category budgets to ensure efficient and effective investments.

4. Data Analytics & Insights

Analysesales performance, market share, distribution, pricing, and promotional results.

Utilize data from Nielsen, Kantar, distributor systems, and internal dashboards.

Translate insights into actionable recommendations for the business.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Marketing on brand initiatives, innovations, and demand planning.

Partner with Supply Chain on forecasting, stock allocation, and lifecycle management.

Work closely with distributors on in month stock replenishment and correct pricing.

Support Sales teams with category stories, customer presentations, and strategic selling materials.

Act as the primary category expert in customer meetings for Joint Business Plans (JBPs).

Deliver insight-led category growth proposals tailored to customer needs.

Build strong relationships with key trade partners.

Skills

4–7 years of experience in Trade Marketing, Category Management, Sales, or Brand Management.

Strong analytical skills withproficiencyin data tools (Excel, Power BI, Nielsen, etc.).

Solid understanding of FMCG/consumer goods industry and retail landscape.

Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to manage multiple priorities and work cross-functionally.

Leadership

You are energized by delivering fantastic results.You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.

As anindividualyou are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and deliveringhigh standardsof work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.

Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors

PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE:Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.Has an owner’s mindset, using data and insight to make decisions.

PERSONAL MASTERY:Setshigh standardsfor themselves.Actively builds own wellbeing and resilience.

CONSUMER LOVE: Whatever their role, always looks for better ways to serve consumers.Investstime inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.

PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.

AGILITY: Explores the world around them, continually learning and developing their skills.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicantsfrom allwalks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. 

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.

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