Category Manager

Wiltshire Farm Foods (WFF), the UK’s leading Direct to Consumer (DTC) prepared meal brand, is seeking an accomplished Category Manager to lead the day-today management and commercial growth of our core product portfolio. With annual retail sales of approximately £140m and a reputation for outstanding customer service, WFF is committed to making a real difference to our customers’ lives.

As Category Manager, you will be responsible for driving forward the continuous improvement of our product offering, enhancing our value proposition and delivering our commercial goals. Reporting to the General Manager – Trading & Proposition, you will lead the WFF Category team and play a pivotal role within the WFF management team, directly accountable for the full range of 230+ core (non-specialist) products that WFF offers.

This role is based at our Headquarters in Trowbridge Wiltshire and is a 14-month fixed term contract.

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Driving Product Excellence

• Execute the category strategy in line with WFF’s core proposition and long-term business objectives.
• Continue to develop a product range that expands market share and deepens customer loyalty and value.
• Continue to embed a culture of ‘Great food to be proud of’ across the business, leading internal launches and inspiring colleagues.
• Drive continuous quality improvement, using customer insights and market intelligence to inform decisions.

Commercial Delivery

• Own the commercial performance of core product categories to deliver volume and margin goals.
• Develop and manage pricing strategies, product mix, and promotional plans to optimise results.
• Support the delivery of the Trading Calendar, ensuring promotional activity drives volume growth and customer engagement.
• Manage excess stock and mitigate risk, partnering with supply chain colleagues to optimise forecasting and inventory management.

Customer and Market Intelligence

• Deliver actionable customer insights, championing the voice of the customer.
• Provide robust competitor and market analysis to inform strategy and tactics.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

• Build and nurture relationships across the internal supply chain, including product development, procurement, production, and distribution.
• Represent WFF at apetito’s ‘Food, Packaging and Policy Group’, collaborating and influencing across senior stakeholders.

Team Leadership & Impact

• Through our Growth Leadership principles - lead, inspire, and develop the Graduate Category Executive.
• Work in close partnership with colleagues across WFF depot network and central support functions to collectively deliver the WFF commercial goals.
• Support the overall development of a positive, spirited team culture and working environment.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in category management, brand management, product development, or similar commercial roles.
• A track record of delivering results in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong financial acumen and commercial awareness.
• Exceptional interpersonal, influencing, and relationship management skills.
• Passion for food and customer-centric innovation.

Personal Qualities

• Lead with energy, enthusiasm, and resilience.
• Strategic, diplomatic, and assertive.
• Excellent communicator, able to challenge effectively, build trust and credibility across all levels of the organisation.

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.
Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.