Category Specialist – Schools – On-site – Germiston at Datafin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

• A leading Retailer is looking for a Category Specialist who will be accountable for growing and protecting the company’s presence in the schools segment through year-round portfolio management and consultative selling.
• This role manages an assigned portfolio of schools, onboarding new schools, retaining existing ones across seasons, and driving commercial sales across the School category range.

DUTIES:

• Manage assigned portfolio of schools with planned contact rhythm (pre-season, peak, post-peak, year-round); deliver dependable service across all product categories and maintain current stakeholder maps for priority schools
• Actively pursue and convert new schools to expand the company’s presence in assigned region; identify prospects by profile, decision-maker access, category fit, and seasonal timing; execute structured pre-season engagement
• Plan and execute Back-to-School as a deliberate campaign with pre-season pipeline build, in-season list management, and post-peak retention review; achieve monthly, seasonal, and annual revenue and gross profit targets
• Diagnose school needs before recommending through questioning on grade-level requirements, budget shape, timing, and pain points; translate requirements into accurate lists, quotes, and specifications
• Drive year-round commercial sales to keep portfolio active between seasons and unlock monthly school spend beyond peak periods; suggest fit-for-purpose options that serve schools better
• Coordinate with Key Account Management, New Business Development, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Category teams for clean fulfilment; maintain CRM currency and surface pricing pressure early
• Build organizational intelligence on the schools market by capturing and sharing structured insights on competitor activity, procurement patterns, budget cycles, and demand shifts.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Sales, Marketing, Business Administration, Education, or related commercial field
• Solid experience in B2B sales, account management, or commercial roles with portfolio management, client retention, and new business development responsibility
• Experience working in education, institutional sales, or multi-category commercial environments; exposure to consultative selling and stakeholder relationship management
• Proficiency in CRM systems | Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) | Quoting and specification management
• Experience managing client portfolios with planned engagement cadence; working in seasonal or campaign-driven sales environments with pipeline discipline

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certifications in sales, account management, or category management
• Experience in the office products, education, or B2B distribution sector
• Demonstrated success in multi-stakeholder relationship building and service recovery

ATTRIBUTES:

• Technical Skills: CRM & Sales Management Software | Microsoft Office Suite | Quoting & Specification Management | Category Knowledge (Stationery, Furniture, Technology, Hygiene) | Schools Market & Procurement Insight
• Soft Skills: Consultative Selling & Diagnostic Questioning | Stakeholder Relationship Management | Commercial Negotiation & Value Articulation | Time Management & Priority Setting | Problem-Solving & Service Recovery | Communication & Interpersonal Skills