Category Development Manager

Welcome to Suntory Oceania | Nau mai ki Suntory Oceania

Craft your future with Suntory Oceania, a new $3b multi-beverage partnership between Suntory Global Spirits and Suntory Beverage & Food. Underpinned by quality, craftsmanship and a strong sense of purpose, our exciting new partnership will be powered by two manufacturing sites, five distribution centres and more than 1500 Suntorians across Australia and Aotearoa.

Our market-leading portfolio will have over 40 brands, including Jim Beam® and Maker's Mark® Bourbon, Hibiki® Japanese Whisky, Canadian Club® Whisky, -196, V Energy, Maximus, and Suntory BOSS Coffee. As One Suntory, we will be positioned as the fourth largest beverage player in the region, ready to ignite the category, creating more beverage moments from sunrise to sunset. Together, we will bring the best of Suntory to Oceania.

What is the opportunity? | He aha te kōwhiringa?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Category Development Manager to join our Commercial Excellence team partnering on some amazing global and local brands.

The purpose of this position is to be the lead voice of the Category and market, playing an integral role in the development and execution of our mid-term portfolio strategy. At Suntory Oceania we have a hunger for making drinks better – you are an important part of this and here’s how your role helps us win.

The role is to develop and embed into the business the “Suntory way” of Category Management, bringing objectivity through an outside in perspective, proactively leading and communicating category diagnosis and laddering into actionable insight, focussed on furthering the growth and development of the Category and Suntory’s performance within it.

To act as the Category advocate across enterprise to assist in step changing Suntory’s position in the marketplace through delivering valuable and actionable insights relating to the shopper, customer and category.

Key responsibilities include:

• Owning the development and communication of Category and Business Insights
• Delivering short to long term strategy while flexing with day-to-day business needs
• Playing a key role in bringing innovation to market
• Analysing existing categories to identify opportunities drive growth, and capture our maximum share of that growth
• Acting as an enterprise business partner, collaborating closely with both our Marketing and Commercial Teams, and external stakeholders

About You | Nō hea koe

You have a curious mind and enjoy problem-solving, navigating ambiguity, and approaching challenges with a positive mindset. You thrive in a close-knit team within a global organisation, where you can work autonomously while collaborating both internally across enterprise and externally with agencies and customers.

You naturally build strong relationships and excel at storytelling when translating data into actionable insights. You’re passionate about leveraging data and finding effective ways to identify and lead Category growth.

To succeed in this role, you’ll bring:

• Experience in Category Management, ideally within FMCG or retail
• Strong relationship-building skills across multiple business levels
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Organisation and planning abilities, with a commitment to deadlines and timeframes
• The ability to use storytelling to frame data into meaningful insights
• Initiative and enthusiasm
• A strategic mindset

You’ll enjoy the pace of a dynamic business, be highly organised, and bring a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.

If you’re not an expert in all these areas, that’s okay! We value alignment with our core values and your ability to apply your unique skills and experience.

What’s in it for you? I He aha te mea e whiwhi ai koe?

• Product discounts and allowances to share with friends and family
• Free parking on site
• Parental leave supporting all parents and caregivers.
• Grow your career – we like to promote from within and have incredible learning and development opportunities around the world 
• SunnyStars – get recognised for your hard work with our recognition programme.
• We are committed to giving back to our communities, so we provide you with volunteer leave to do so

Our DEI Commitment

At Suntory, we recognize that diverse knowledge, perspectives, and backgrounds contribute to our collective success. We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all individuals can bring their whole selves to work every day, regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Our recruitment and selection processes are designed to highlight what Suntory offers as an employer while allowing candidates to share their unique skills and experiences. We understand that career trajectories vary, and if you believe your experience/background can benefit our team, we encourage you to apply. We endeavor to make our interview process as inclusive as possible and offer reasonable accommodations as needed. Together, we can cultivate a workplace where everyone can thrive and propel our mission of Growing for Good.

Apply Now! | Me Tono Ināianei!