Category & Portfolio Executive

Lesaffre, which is a global reference in the yeast industry with its more than 170 years of accumulated knowledge, has been transmitting its international experience to Turkish bakery industry since 1992.

We unite the Lesaffre experience with our wide-spectrum user population by means of our over 600 employees and our production facilities, including our production facility in Lüleburgaz, which we have incorporated into our structure in 2015, in addition to our production facilities in Ceyhan and in Amasya, which have been in use since 1992, the year we started operating in Turkey. We work to become the closest business partner of our users with the help of our brands, which specifically address diverse needs. For bakers and home users, we produce yeast in different forms. In addition to yeast, we also provide baking solutions like bread improvers, bread mixes, and blends to the bakery sector. The products that we produce are used with confidence in more than 80 countries, including Turkey.

In order to be able to fulfill our social responsibilities regarding the environment and our society by means of our R&D activities, we annually allocate approximately 30% of our industrial investments to policies on the protection of the environment.

As the key player of the global bread industry, our vision is ‘to delight people with innovative bread making and nutrition solutions for a better planet’. And our mission of ‘working together to better nourish and protect the planet’ carries Lesaffre to the future.

About the Role

We are looking for a Category & Portfolio Executive to join Lesaffre Türkiye. In this role, you will develop and execute category, and portfolio plans that support growth, profitability, and innovation. You will work closely with Sales and Baking Center to translate customer and consumer insights into portfolio, assortment, and launch plans across sales channels.

Be part of something meaningful. Apply now and help bring baking solutions to market that meet the evolving needs of our customers and consumers.

• Develop and implement category and portfolio strategies across sales channels in line with business priorities for growth, profitability, and competitiveness.
• Define the category structure, product mix, and role of each product range based on consumer needs, price points, channel dynamics, profitability, and growth potential.
• Identify new product development opportunities based on market trends and customer needs. Coordinate projects with Baking Center, Production, and other relevant teams.
• Develop and execute product launch and go-to-market plans tailored to customer needs and channel requirements.
• Manage product pricing in collaboration with Finance, taking into account market conditions, perceived consumer value, profitability, and competitive positioning.
• Monitor assortment performance by channel and customer, track volume, net invoiced sales (NIS), and contribution margin (CM), and recommend adjustments.
• Translate category plans into assortment recommendations and sales materials for field teams and customers to support in-store execution.
• Manage relationships with digital, creative, PR, and trade marketing agencies and ensure deliverables meet agreed objectives.
• Develop digital marketing plans and recommend the mix of channels and social media investment.
• Monitor reach and engagement and adjust plans based on performance.
• Manage trade marketing suppliers and oversee the production of point-of-sale materials.
• Develop CRM initiatives with retail partners to improve shelf visibility, product penetration, and portfolio presence in stores.
• Analyze market research, consumer insights, competitor activity, and market share data.
• Work with Sales, International Marketing, and Market Insights to identify opportunities and recommend category actions.
• Coordinate with local commercial teams and International Marketing to adapt LLBG’s global strategies to the local market and share local market feedback.
• Apply customer and consumer insights to marketing and commercial initiatives.
• Contribute category and portfolio inputs to the annual business planning process.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Marketing, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in product management, category management, or both, preferably in FMCG.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proven ability to drive revenue growth through product management, portfolio optimization, and assortment planning.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate customer, consumer, and market insights into actionable plans.
• Strong interest in products, brands, and consumer behavior.
• Ability to assess the commercial impact of decisions and translate business priorities into concrete actions.
• Strong written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage complex initiatives, prioritize competing demands, and meet deadlines.
• Proactive approach, strong ownership of deliverables, and attention to detail.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills, with the ability to develop and deliver clear presentations.

We Offer

• 🔗An international environment where you get to discover new cultures every day
• 💆🏻‍♀️ Hybrid working model to ensure a well work-life balance, (For the İstanbul location only.)
• 🌱 Learning and growing while contributing to local or global projects,
• 💪🏼 An extensive global e-learning platform to support professional and technical development,
• 🍃 Varying numbers of initiatives in contributing to our CSR activities.