Best Friend – Category & Trade Marketing Manager

Are you a commercially driven category and trade marketing professional with a passion for pets and a flair for execution? Do you thrive in a fast-paced FMCG environment where strategy meets hands-on action? Are you ready to take ownership, drive growth, and make a real impact in a company with big ambitions and a love for four-legged friends? If so, this could be your next exciting opportunity.

About Best Friend AB

Best Friend AB is part of Nordic Pet Care Group A/S, whose vision is to become the leading supplier of pet products across the Nordic region. In the Swedish market, Best Friend AB handles the marketing, sales, and distribution of an extensive product portfolio that spans the entire pet care category – including food, treats, cat litter, toys, and accessories. Several of these product lines are market leaders within their segments.

As part of a growing industry, the company is driven by ambitious growth plans. It operates with a small, committed team in a flat and open organization where collaboration is encouraged. The office is pet-friendly, and the working culture supports an entrepreneurial spirit. The role offers the chance to take ownership, shape the position, and make a real difference in the lives of pets and their families. For more inspiration and information please visit https://bestfriend.com/sv

About the role

The Category & Trade Marketing Manager reports directly to the Country Manager and plays a key role in driving customer performance in terms of both sales and profitability. The position is responsible for driving category initiatives and continuously analyzing the development of the category as well as it is overall responsible for planning and implementing BTL marketing activities in Sweden and some ATL activities, all within the scope of the agreed business plan and budget.

This position act as the vital link between Nordic Pet Care’s Product Portfolio team and the Swedish market, the Category & Trade Marketing Manager ensures that portfolio strategies are effectively adapted and executed locally.

While trade marketing is part of the remit, this is first and foremost a category-driven role that involves hands-on analysis, assortment planning, and working closely with sales to support customer-specific initiatives. Success in this position requires someone who enjoys analysis, strategic thinking and operational execution. The role also includes managing external partners and agencies for campaign materials and instore activation, as well as participating actively in customer meetings and planning cycles together with the Sales Director.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform market analysis (consumer, customer, assortment, prices, and competition) and turn insights into relevant actions.

• Support the Sales Director with developing and implementing key account strategies.

• Prepare presentation materials for customer meetings

• Participate in customer assortment meetings/campaign meetings, field sales meetings and in relevant cross functional/ cross country meetings.

• Develop BFSE Space management Strategy and support the Sales Director to ensure execution with customers.

• Lead the internal commercialization process in line with Industry Procedures (ECR).

• Responsible for preparation and execution of the annual ATL and BTL plans and obtain the Promotion Budget.

• Develop Sales and Promotion materials in line with brand guidelines.

• Establish partnerships with external parties (cat/dog clubs, exhibitors, etc.)

• Participate in planning and conducting trade shows, fairs and other sales related activities.

Key Experiences & Qualities

To succeed in this role, experience in trade and category management within FMCG or similar companies is essential. You should be confident in optimizing assortments, managing listings, and executing marketing activities that deliver measurable results. Given the nature of the products and market, the role requires someone with a good understanding of both shopper and end-consumer dynamics, and who ideally has a genuine interest in animals. Furthermore, the ideal candidate has:

• A track record in category work with responsibility for assortment strategy and analysis

• Experience in planning and executing ATL and BTL activities

• Commercial and analytic capabilities

• Co-operation and negotiation skills

• Outgoing and solution-oriented mindset

• Strong skills in Nielsen Discover, Power BI, MS Office, InDesign, and Axapta

• Excellent skills in written and spoken English

• Suitable commercial/marketing education

To Apply

In this important and exciting recruitment, Best Friend are partnering with Academic Search International AB, a leading expert in Executive Search, Recruitment and Interim Management. For more information about the position and process, please contact Amelia Kämpeberg amelia.kampeberg@academicsearch.se

Apply through the link below to play a pivotal role in Best Friend’s continued success story! Send your application as soon as possible as we are continuously working with selection and interviews.

All information is handled confidentially in accordance with Academic Search Integrity Policy as well as the data protection act, GDPR. This means that we can only process applications with CV’s coming through the applications system. Please apply to the position as soon as possible, as we are interviewing on an ongoing basis. Thanks for your understanding!

Academic Search International is one of Scandinavia’s most merited companies within Executive Search & Interim Management. Our focus is people with documented manager- and specialist competences. We have close collaborations with national and international companies with strong brands and purpose. Our mission is to unite the best qualified candidates with the toughest challenges at the most interesting companies in Sweden. Our values are KNOWLEDGE, ENGAGEMENT, RESPONSIBILITY and COLLABORATION. Through these values, we make a difference in all our relationships. www.academicsearch.se