Head of Category Marketing
Because we strive to put people first.
Culture, our way.
The Opportunity
The Head of Category Marketing is the marketing leader for a significant category, accountable for setting the customer demand strategy and delivering measurable customer and commercial growth.
Operating in a two-in-a-box leadership model with the relevant Buying Director, this role jointly shapes the category growth agenda. It brings together customer insight, product strategy, trading performance, cultural relevance and marketing investment to determine how the category will win with customers.
You will set the direction for how the category is positioned, marketed and experienced across customer touchpoints, lead a high-performing team and represent the category marketing agenda in senior business, trading and marketing forums.
This role is accountable for leading, shaping and delivering end-to-end multi-million pound campaigns from brief through to delivery across paid, owned, earned and shared media. This requires proven creative and strategic judgement, with deep experience as a marketeer navigating insight, research, strategic and creative development, production and delivery to create impactful customer experiences and drive category growth.
Key Responsibilities
Customer-Led Category Growth Strategy
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Set the multi-year category marketing and customer demand strategy, aligned to Primark’s business ambition and brand positioning.
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Partner with the Buying leadership to define category ambition, growth opportunities and priority customer outcomes.
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Translate customer, product, trading and market insight into clear strategic choices and an actionable growth plan.
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Define priority customer segments, shopping missions and demand-driving opportunities.
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Determine how the category should be positioned and differentiated in the market.
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Balance long-term desirability and customer growth with sales, margin and full-price sell-through priorities.
Fashion Demand Creation & Campaign Leadership
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Own the category demand creation strategy and integrated go-to-market calendar.
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Set the direction for seasonal campaigns, product launches, collaborations, trend stories and editorial content.
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Translate product priorities and cultural insight into compelling customer propositions and narratives.
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Approve major campaign briefs, target audiences, channel roles and measures of success.
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Partner with Brand and Creative leaders to deliver distinctive, high-quality and recognisably Primark storytelling.
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Drive innovation in how products and category stories are introduced to customers.
Omnichannel Experience & Trading Integration
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Set the strategic direction for the category experience across digital, CRM, social, media, PR, retail and emerging channels.
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Partner with Digital and Merchandising leaders to improve discovery, navigation, inspiration and conversion.
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Ensure category marketing is fully integrated with product development, trading priorities and seasonal cycles.
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Shape the role of stores, windows and customer-facing environments within the category plan.
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Ensure plans support immediate trading performance while building sustainable customer demand.
Commercial Performance & Investment
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Own category marketing performance against agreed customer, commercial and effectiveness measures.
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Share accountability with Buying and Merchandising leadership for category sales, margin and full-price sell-through outcomes.
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Own the category marketing investment strategy and recommend allocation of budget, people and agency resources.
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Lead decisions to accelerate, redirect or stop activity in response to performance, risk or opportunity.
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Partner with Finance, Media and Analytics to evaluate incrementality, return on investment and investment productivity.
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Provide senior leaders with clear recommendations on performance, priorities, trade-offs and corrective action.
Insight, Trend & Customer Understanding
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Champion the voice of the customer in product, proposition, investment and trading decisions.
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Combine behavioural data, customer research, social insight, cultural intelligence and competitor analysis.
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Translate insight into choices and action rather than descriptive reporting.
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Anticipate changes in customer demand, fashion, culture and channel behaviour relevant to the category.
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Establish a learning agenda that improves understanding of the drivers of category growth.
Leadership & Functional Influence
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Act as the principal marketing adviser to the Buying Director and category leadership team.
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Represent the category in senior marketing, trading and business leadership forums.
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Build alignment across Buying, Merchandising, Digital, CRM, Brand, Creative, Retail, Finance and Analytics.
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Resolve competing priorities and create clarity where ownership or resources are shared.
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Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing Category Marketing team, including capability and succession planning.
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Define and embed Category Marketing best practice, standards and ways of working across the function.
Experience
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7+ years senior marketing leadership experience in a large, complex and customer-led organisation.
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Proven experience of managing creative and media agency stakeholders at a senior level and driving best in class marketing activity
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Proven accountability for a major category, business unit, market or customer portfolio.
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Strong fashion, retail, consumer, lifestyle or digitally enabled commercial experience.
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Track record of creating customer demand and delivering measurable commercial growth.
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Experience leading significant marketing investment, senior teams, agencies and complex matrix relationships.
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Evidence of influencing Director-level stakeholders and leading organisational or capability change.
Skills
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Enterprise-level strategic and commercial judgement.
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Deep customer orientation and strong fashion and cultural instinct.
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Ability to balance brand building, creative excellence and short-term trading performance.
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Confident senior stakeholder influence, constructive challenge and decision-making.
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Strong command of insight, performance measurement and investment effectiveness.
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Inspirational people leadership and talent development.
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Clarity, pace and resilience in a fast-moving international environment.
What You’ll Get:
The work you do shapes the impact we have. We’re focused on providing you with the culture to reach your potential. Your wellbeing is our top priority.
Lifestyle at Primark: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.
Ready? Good - because we can’t wait to see what you can offer. You’ll be joining a team of innovative and experienced people where you’ll truly belong, collaborating on projects that will shape the future of our industry. Apply to be part of our future and we’ll support you in developing yours.
About Primark
At Primark, people matter. They’re the beating heart of our business and the reason we’ve grown from our first store in Dublin in 1969 to over 80,000 colleagues and over 480 stores in 18 countries today and growing.
So, what’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. It’s that feeling that turns a job into something more. Celebrating the wins, working at pace, and pulling through the challenging times with passion, courage, and your team by your side. It’s what drives us every day.
You’re our driving force. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.
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REQ ID: JR-11538
