Category Lead – Marketing (Hygiene / Beverages / Food & Snacks)

Position: Category Lead – Marketing (Hygiene / Beverages / Food & Snacks)

Location: Nairobi / Thika,

Industry: FMCG

Gender: Any

Citizen: Kenyan locals

Salary: Competitive

Who should apply: This opportunity is strictly for experienced Marketing professionals.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving category growth, strengthening brand positioning, leading trade activation initiatives, and enhancing consumer engagement to achieve business objectives across Kenya and regional Markets.

This role requires a strategic marketer with strong commercial acumen, analytical capabilities, and a deep understanding of FMCG consumer and trade dynamics.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional qualifications such as CIM or an MBA will be an added advantage.
• 5–8 years of FMCG marketing experience, including at least 3 years in Brand or Category Management.
• Proven experience in the Hygiene, Beverages, or Food & Snacks sectors is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of traditional and modern trade channels.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute successful marketing strategies and trade activation programs.
• Experience managing marketing budgets, external agencies, and cross-functional projects.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

  
  

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute annual category marketing plans aligned with business growth and profitability objectives.
• Identify consumer, channel, and market growth opportunities, including pack-price architecture, innovation, and geographic expansion.
• Translate consumer and shopper insights into actionable marketing and trade initiatives.

  
  

Brand Management & Communications

• Lead brand positioning and marketing communications for flagship brands.
• Develop and execute Above-the-Line (ATL), Below-the-Line (BTL), and digital marketing campaigns to strengthen brand equity and market share.
• Ensure consistency in brand messaging, packaging, and consumer experience across all touchpoints.

  
  

Trade & Channel Activation

•  Design and implement effective in-store and channel activation programs in collaboration with the Sales and Route-to-Market (RTM) teams.
•  Partner with distributors to drive product visibility, availability, and sales performance across key channels.
•  Evaluate and optimize the return on investment (ROI) of trade marketing activities.

  
  

Innovation & Portfolio Development

• Support new product development and portfolio expansion based on consumer insights and market opportunities.
• Collaborate with R&D, Supply Chain, and Sales teams to ensure successful product launches and post-launch performance.

  
  

Performance & Data Management

• Monitor category performance, market share, brand health, and key commercial KPIs.
• Leverage market intelligence and consumer insights to optimize pricing, promotions, and marketing investments.
• Prepare periodic business reviews and performance reports for senior management.

  
  

Preferred Skills

• Experience in pricing strategy and portfolio management for mass-market FMCG products.
• Knowledge of Business Intelligence (BI) tools, digital marketing platforms, and SAP S/4HANA.
• Strong project management and commercial decision-making capabilities.
  

If you are a strategic and commercially driven Marketing professional with a passion for building leading FMCG brands, please send your cv to jobs@msvlgroup.com