Senior EU Category Manager
Ready to lead, disrupt and reinvent the sleep industry? We are Emma – The Sleep Company. Founded in 2015, we have grown into the world’s largest direct-to-consumer (D2C) sleep brand, with a presence in over 20 markets and more than 35 Emma stores across Europe. Our mission is simple: to develop sleep comfort products that empower our customers to awaken their best every day. Today, our products are trusted by millions and recommended by leading consumer associations worldwide. It’s our people who bring this mission to life. At Emma, you’ll join a driven, international team that values ownership, collaboration, and continuous knowledge sharing. With colleagues from over 70 nationalities, we combine diverse perspectives with a shared ambition to learn, grow, and create lasting impact, together. Ready to awaken your best with us?
About the Role
The Senior EU Category Manager is the commercial and operational owner of Emma's product category (one or several categories - Mattresses, Accessories, Beds, Linens) across European markets. You sit at the intersection of global strategy and in-market reality — responsible for ensuring the portfolio performs, launches land successfully, and consumer and commercial insights flow back into global decision-making. This is a dual-facing role: you translate global category strategy into EU execution, while simultaneously representing European market needs — consumer preferences, competitive dynamics, channel realities — back to global teams. You can develop Local or cross countries product when needed to answer specific countries consumer needs In a context where Category Management at Emma is evolving toward stronger commercial ownership, faster feedback loops, and sharper portfolio performance, this role is critical to delivering on-the-ground results while building a stronger link between strategy and execution.
What you'll do:
- Regional Portfolio Management & Activation
Own the EU product portfolio for the category: range structure, SKU priorities, and channel fit
Adapt / develop global portfolio architecture to European market realities (country priorities, regulatory context, channel mix)
Manage SKU lifecycle across EU — from introduction to rationalisation — in coordination with global
Ensure portfolio coherence across channels: online DTC, Marketplace, Wholesale, and Retail (Emma Stores)
Drive assortment decisions in collaboration with Commercial teams and Country Managers
Maintain up-to-date country-level range plans and collaborate on activation calendars
- Go-to-Market & Launch Execution
Lead EU launch planning and readiness: operational timelines, commercial activation, and product truth localisation
Ensure sales, marketing, customer service, and retail teams are equipped with product knowledge and messaging before every launch
Coordinate local market adaptations —regulation, claims, pricing thresholds etc… — within global guardrails
Own post-launch performance reviews: sell-through, return rate, NPS, and commercial learnings
Proactively flag launch risks and escalate blockers to global and commercial stakeholders
- Commercial Performance Monitoring & Improvement
Track category performance weekly and monthly across key EU markets:
Revenue and volume mix evolution by SKU and channel
Gross margin and margin-per-SKU trends
Return rates and NPS by product and market
Channel performance (DTC vs retail vs marketplace vs wholesale)
Identify underperformers, portfolio gaps, and pricing misalignments — and drive corrective actions
Build business cases to support portfolio investment, de-listing, or repositioning decisions
Partner with Finance and BI on KPI frameworks, dashboards, and category contribution analysis
- Market, Consumer & Competitive Intelligence
Monitor EU market trends: category growth, channel shifts, consumer behaviour changes
Maintain a structured view of the competitive landscape in key EU markets (pricing, product moves, positioning)
Gather and synthesise qualitative and quantitative insights from:
Emma Stores (direct consumer interaction — a unique Emma asset)
Customer Service feedback and returns analysis
Consumer reviews and online listening
Country Manager and sales team field intelligence
Produce regular EU market intelligence reports and feed insights into global category planning cycles
- Sales, Trade & Channel Enablement
Build and maintain strong relationships with Country Managers and EU commercial leads
Act as the product expert and internal ambassador for the category across EU commercial teams
Deliver product training, category selling stories, and trade argumentation for retail partners
Support trade marketing and channel activation with product knowledge and positioning clarity
Adapt product messaging and benefit communication for different EU channels and retail contexts
- Global–EU Interface & Feedback Loop
Participate in quarterly global–regional alignment sessions with Global Category Managers
Provide structured European market intelligence to inform global roadmap and portfolio decisions
Validate global portfolio decisions against EU commercial and consumer realities
Flag regional constraints (regulatory, cultural, channel) that affect global plans
Who we are looking for: 5–8 years experience in Category Management, Product Management, or Commercial Strategy in DTC, e-commerce, FMCG, or omnichannel retail
Demonstrated experience connecting product strategy with in-market commercial performance
Strong understanding of European consumer markets — including channel dynamics, country-level variations, and shopper behaviour
Experience working cross-functionally and managing multiple stakeholders across sales, marketing, and operations
Experience with product launches in multi-country environments (end-to-end, from planning to post-launch review)
Commercially sharp: you think in revenue, margin, and sell-through, not just product features
Analytical and data-driven: comfortable with dashboards, BI tools, and Excel modelling for performance analysis
Structured and operational: able to manage multiple launches and priorities simultaneously
Strong communicator: able to simplify complex product information for sales teams, retailers, and non-category audiences
Consumer-curious: genuinely interested in shopper behaviour, market trends, and in-store/field observation
Comfortable operating in a fast-moving DTC environment with evolving priorities and lean team structures
What we offer: At Emma, you’ll find a culture of freedom, impact, and zero politics . We give you full ownership from day one and expect you to move fast, think big, and grow even faster.
Pet-friendly environment, where you can bring your furry desk buddy;
Discounts on our top-notch products;
Health insurance including dentist;
24 days holidays/year +1 day/year at Emma (máx. 29 days);
The opportunity to collaborate with multinational teams;
Exciting events that aren't just team-building exercises but opportunities to create epic memories.
Become an Emmie We are on a mission to become No.1 in the world of sleep, and we’re looking for driven, ambitious people to help us shape what’s next. If you’re curious, hands-on, and ready to challenge the status quo, you’ll find the space here to make things happen and create real impact. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building an inclusive workplace. We celebrate diversity and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age. Our aim is to get back to you within a few days. Due to the high volume of applications, there may be slight delays, but we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.