Junior Category Manager

Ready for an exciting position that plays a crucial role in driving the success of fresh dairy categories like yogurt and cooking in Finland and championing category thinking across the organization. Are you a detail-oriented and analytical individual with a passion for driving business growth? Do you want to make your contribution in growing the Finnish grocery trade’s largest categories?

As one of our colleagues is taking a study leave, we are looking for a Junior Category Manager for fixed time period until 30.6.2026 to join our Marketing team in Sipoo covering the Yogurt and Cooking categories and product portfolio.

About the job

The Junior Category Manager is responsible for executing and supporting development of customer facing Category Strategies in order to drive category and market share growth for the fresh dairy business, and the customers and channels we work with and play in respectively in Finland.

In this role, you will be responsible for executing our category strategies on a daily basis to drive business growth and customer satisfaction. You must have a strong shopper focus – putting the shopper at the heart. You will contribute to category strategy planning and development.

You will work in close collaboration with the local sales team, brand team, innovation manager as well as connect regularly with our Global teams.

The key responsibilities:

• Lead and participate in different category-related projects such as design updates, category management,  NRM (Net Revenue Management) and assortment management projects
• Analyze and use shopper data to drive insights to support decision making, customer strategies and category growth platforms

• Build business cases for innovation

• Execute the defined category strategy and manage the category innovation pipeline for designated categories and private labels
• Manage specified category budget
• Responsible for Profit and Loss in designated categories

Who are you?

As an individual, you are commercially savvy and have a growth mindset that sees opportunities as well as solutions. You  possess the ability to effectively prioritize tasks and maintain a commitment to quality and timely delivery, even in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. You are capable of working both independently and as part of a multi-functional team. Your work approach is characterized by being detail-oriented, systematic, and self-directed. Strong project management skills and analytical thinking will help you succeed in this position. You have genuine interest in food and industry trends.

In addition to this our preferred candidate has

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Business Administration.
• 2-5 years of experience in eg. sales analyst or category management roles in the retail industry.

• Category / Strategy experience beneficial by not essential

• Strong problem-solving skills and experience in reporting and analyzing data.
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel
• Good verbal and written communication skills in both Finnish and English.

What do we offer?

This is a great opportunity to join our marketing team and help shape the future of dairy at Arla. We are eager to share our expertise with you, so you can develop your skills on your journey to become a professional. If you in the future are interested to get work experience outside Finland, there are great opportunities to apply open positions in our global organization.

Our office is based in Sipoo and we offer a flexible working schedule. We are committed to professional development and promoting from within. Our positive and collaborative culture will bring out the best in you. And you will join a market leader who produces nutritious household brands in a way that makes things better for our customers, the farmers and the whole world.

Modern working in hybrid model

The office is considered our primary place of work and should be seen as a natural choice. It is of great value that the employees meet at the workplace since it contributes to collaboration, creativity, exchange of knowledge and strengthens and builds new relationships. Our belief is that the best way of working, for many, is a mix between working from the office and working remotely. This increases flexibility, which for many can contribute to further positive effects on the interaction between work and leisure (Work Life Balance).

In Arla, we strongly believe our values Lead, Sense and Create that defines us in everything we do and say.  In Arla we believe that diversity and inclusion are imperative to our business. We define diversity broadly as differences between people with a diverse range of backgrounds, while inclusion is about valuing differences among individuals to create synergies. We have an ambition to create an inclusive work environment where everyone is valued and feels that they belong. 

Application and contact

If you want to seize this exciting opportunity and accelerate your career at Arla, then please apply as soon as possible. We process applications on a continuous basis and close the job opening once the right candidate has been found.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Category Lead, Arja Westman on her mobile: +358-45-176 2889 on Friday October 24th at 12-12:50 or on Friday October 31st at 14-14:50.

Shape the Future of Dairy 

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to producing high-quality products while championing sustainability and innovation. We're passionate about people and our planet, striving to unleash the full potential in each of us. Our goal is to make healthy dairy nutrition and good food habits accessible to all. Join us at Arla Foods and become part of a worldwide cooperative dedicated to making a significant impact on the planet and steering the dairy industry towards a sustainable future. 

We are devoted to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. Diversity and collaboration are key to our success, propelling us to new heights in the dairy industry.