Senior Specialist Category Management Local Production & Football & Motorsports

Job Overview

The Senior Specialist Category Management supports local production and category activities across football and motorsports. The position connects local market requirements with category plans, coordinating seasonal production, product range decisions and launch activity. It works with manufacturers, category managers and global football partners to ensure that locally produced items and licensed products are planned and delivered effectively. The specialist also contributes to assortment, pricing, distribution and performance analysis so that category decisions support consumer relevance, commercial goals and the required product volumes.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate seasonal local-production plans and follow up with manufacturers to support on-time execution and agreed volumes.
• Work with local category and office teams to identify opportunities to increase local production and improve coordination.
• Manage seasonal arrangements for embellishment and monitor the progress and quality of relevant production activities.
• Track football club launch plans and coordinate team-jersey requirements with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Liaise with global Football teams on licensed apparel design, development and product information.
• Support range management, segmentation, distribution and pricing decisions to achieve target margins, volumes and consumer value.
• Prepare forecasts, KPI reports and scenario analyses, coordinating product launches with communications, omnichannel and sales teams.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Relevant experience in category management, merchandising, product planning or local production coordination.
• Understanding of seasonal planning, product ranges, manufacturing follow-up and commercial performance indicators.
• Ability to coordinate with manufacturers and stakeholders across category, brand, sales and product teams.
• Fluent English and confidence preparing presentations, analysis and structured updates.

Skills and Competencies

The specialist should be analytical, organized and process oriented, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage multiple seasonal priorities. Clear presentation and communication are important when aligning local and global partners. Commercial awareness, attention to detail and effective cross-functional collaboration help ensure that product, production and launch plans remain connected.