Category Planner

Category Planners play a pivotal role in the success of any business that has its roots in the retail industry. In the case of DotActiv, they help us to transform the in-store experiences of our customers, drive sales and profit, analyse and profile clusters as well as use this information to recommend a customer-centric assortment plan to our customers.

With a starting Cost to Company of between R13 000 and R25 500 per month, we’re searching for people who value strategic planning, problem-solving, customer satisfaction and working in an innovative and global environment. Is that you?

WHO IS DOTACTIV?

In order to explain who DotActiv is, it’s first important to explore the topic of category management. That’s because category management is a core part of our business and has been for the past 25 years. The idea behind category management is straightforward: it’s the process used to manage product categories to deliver value to shoppers in a bid to increase both the sales and profit for a retailer. In short, it is the science behind how retailers decide on which products to stock as well as how to organise these products in-store so as to please their customers.

Our history dates back to 1991 when we launched as a Category Management consultancy. In 1997, we became the first company to establish a formalised and collaborative management process between a retailer and supplier when we signed Pick n Pay as a client. That wasn’t our only first. In 2001, when we relaunched under the name of DotActiv, we became the first company to create a data-driven category management system. The fact that we have since expanded and evolved that system means today, we have more than 2000 retail professionals using our planogram software in over 110 countries.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS JOB

Now that you know what you can expect from us, it’s time to unpack what you can expect from this job

AS A CATEGORY PLANNER WORKING AT DOTACTIV, YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

● Creating strategic assortment plans;

● Designing data-driven floor space plans;

● Planning and building data-driven shelf plans;

● Conducting floor and space plan analytical reviews;

● Developing optimised cluster plans per product category using the cluster optimizer and maintenance tools in the DotActiv software;

● Analysing the cluster plan and profiling each cluster to deliver strategic insights to clients;

● Maximising customer and category performance by considering category strategies and plans, product financial performance, shopper psychology and aesthetic appeal; and

● Supporting, advising and guiding retail customers where required.

You’ll have access to DotActiv’s all-in-one category management software to complete all of the above.

Requirements

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU

In our quest to find the right candidate to fill the important position of category planner, we need to ensure that they have the required skills to perform the job. We have broken the required skills into three parts:

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

● Comfortable with working unconventional hours/ night-shift to accommodate the client’s respective time zone.

● A keen interest in working with international clients and possibly international travel.

● A Consumer Science or Commerce degree or similar degree at a recognised and accredited university;

● A good understanding of English (You must be able to speak, read and write at a business proficiency level); and

● You should have at least 1 to 2 years of experience in a retail environment.

● A working laptop - It is important that your laptop has Windows as our software is not supported with Mac PCs. Here is an article about the requirements needed to run the DotActiv software. We do offer a laptop allowance, included in the CTC.

KNOWLEDGE AND COMPUTER SKILLS

● General retail business experience within a retail environment;

● Understand the principles of category management and more specifically clustering and assortment planning (beneficial);

● Understand the process of space planning and how this connects to clustering and assortment planning (beneficial);

● Understand merchandising principles and techniques (beneficial);

● Have the necessary product knowledge and understand product ranges;

● Computer literate with special attention to:

❖ Intermediate MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);

❖ Google G-Suite/Google Docs for business;

● Understand the computer packages and systems currently used by DotActiv and customers (training will be provided).

SOFT SKILLS

● You must have excellent written and verbal communication skills;

● Must have strong analytical skills and be able to use data analysis techniques and how to apply these to business situations;

● You must have excellent interpersonal skills and be a team player;

● You must have a high capacity to represent the DotActiv brand as a specialist;

● You must have a high degree of internal client engagement;

● You must have the ability to multitask and work cross-functionally;

● You must be able to remain attentive in an often busy environment;

● You must be naturally calm while still having a strong sense of urgency and be focused (detail-oriented);

● You must have an internal drive to achieve, produce, develop, and deliver quality work while working remotely.

● You must be versatile enough to participate in other types of activities; and

● Must be adaptable to change as different product categories present different challenges and opportunities.

Benefits

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM DOTACTIV

Too often, we’ve come across job offers that focus first on what they expect from their applicants without thinking about the person who intends to apply. That’s not what you’ll find with DotActiv. As our vision clearly states, we aim to exceed the expectations of our staff.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM DOTACTIV WHEN JOINING THE TEAM AS A CATEGORY PLANNER.

● You’ll receive a Cost to Company of between R13k and R25,5k, depending on your qualifications and experience;

● Depending on the client you may be required to work in the following time zone:

1PM - 10 PM

● You’ll receive guidance, support and training from your line manager to ensure that you succeed as a Category Planner and can grow in your career at DotActiv;

● We offer you a transparent job grading system; and

● We offer you a developmental path specific to your circumstances, allowing you

to track your progress.

● This is a remote position so you will be able to work in the comfort of your own home.

Last updated on Mar 25, 2024