Head of Category Marketing

About the Role

Primark is seeking a Head of Category Marketing to lead the marketing strategy for a key category, driving customer demand and commercial growth. This senior role works closely with the Buying Director in a dual leadership model to jointly craft the category's growth agenda, combining customer insights, product strategy, and marketing investment to define how the category wins in the market.

The person selected will shape category positioning, marketing, and the overall customer experience, managing a high-performing team and representing the marketing agenda across senior business forums. They will oversee the full lifecycle of multi-million pound marketing campaigns across paid, owned, earned, and shared channels, ensuring creative and strategic excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a multi-year, customer-centered category marketing and demand strategy aligned with Primark’s brand and business goals.
• Collaborate with Buying leadership to set category ambitions and identify growth opportunities.
• Leverage customer, product, trading, and market insights to formulate clear strategic plans targeting specific customer segments and shopping missions.
• Define how the category is positioned and differentiated in the marketplace, balancing long-term desirability with sales and margin priorities.
• Lead category demand generation strategies, including seasonal campaigns, product launches, collaborations, and editorial content.
• Approve campaign briefs, target audiences, channel strategies, and success metrics.
• Partner with Brand and Creative teams to create distinctive and recognizable Primark storytelling and innovate how category stories and products are introduced to customers.
• Drive the omnichannel customer experience across digital platforms, CRM, social media, retail environments, and emerging channels.
• Work with Digital and Merchandising leaders to enhance product discovery, navigation, and conversion.
• Integrate marketing with product development, trading priorities, and seasonal cycles, including the role of physical stores and displays.
• Manage category marketing performance against customer, commercial, and effectiveness goals, sharing accountability for sales and margins.
• Oversee category marketing budget, people, and agency resources, making tactical decisions to optimize investment productivity and risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with Finance, Media, and Analytics to assess return on investment and contribution to growth.
• Champion customer insights through combining behavioral data, research, cultural trends, and competitor analysis to inform actionable strategies.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams and senior leaders to align priorities and resolve resource conflicts.
• Lead, develop, and inspire the Category Marketing team, focusing on capability building and succession planning.
• Define and embed marketing best practices and standards throughout the function.

Candidate Profile & Experience

• Minimum 7 years in senior marketing leadership roles within large, complex, customer-driven organizations.
• Proven track record managing creative and media agencies and delivering best-in-class marketing activities.
• Experience with accountability for major categories, business units, or customer portfolios.
• Background in fashion, retail, consumer lifestyle, or digitally enabled commercial sectors.
• Demonstrated success growing customer demand and driving measurable commercial growth.
• Handled significant marketing investments, led senior teams, agencies, and managed matrix working relationships.
• Skilled at influencing directors and leading organizational or capability changes.

Essential Skills

• Strong strategic and commercial judgment at an enterprise level.
• Deep customer focus combined with strong fashion and cultural intuition.
• Ability to balance brand development, creative quality, and short-term sales performance.
• Confident influencing of senior stakeholders with effective challenge and decision-making.
• Expertise in insight analysis, performance measurement, and investment efficiency.
• Inspirational leadership and talent development skills.
• Ability to maintain clarity, agility, and resilience in a dynamic international environment.

Benefits & Workplace Culture

Primark prioritizes employee well-being and development within a culture that embraces individuality and passion. Benefits include healthcare, pension plans, potential bonuses, 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase extra leave. Additional perks include tax saver tickets, access to a fitness center, and a subsidized cafeteria. You will be joining a collaborative and innovative team shaping the future of retail.

About Primark

Primark has grown from its first Dublin store in 1969 to over 480 retail locations with 80,000 colleagues worldwide. The company values its people as the core of its success, fostering a culture that motivates through shared wins, fast-paced work, resilience, and teamwork.