Category Manager
Similar Professions

Alternative Careers and Similar Jobs to a Category Manager

As a Category Manager, you have transferrable skills that would make you a good fit for other similar jobs. Here's a list of related jobs, possible career transitions and alternative careers, based on skills you likely have.

Jump to a section on this page
Similar Job Titles
  • Director Category Management
  • Category Specialist
  • Category Development Manager
  • Category Management Specialist
  • Category Analyst
  • Unlock all suggestions
    Alternative Careers
  • Procurement Manager
  • Sourcing Manager
  • Strategic Sourcing Manager
  • Buyer
  • Merchandise Director
  • Director Of Procurement
  • Purchasing Manager
  • Key Account Manager
  • Strategic Sourcing Specialist
  • Procurement Specialist
  • Unlock all suggestions

    Similar Job Titles to a Category Manager

    These job titles are similar to the Category Manager role, and are often used interchangeably by companies. For example, some employers may refer to a Category Manager as either a Director Category Management or a Category Specialist.

    Director Category Management
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    76%

    A Director Category Management shares 76% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Consumer Products
    Pricing Strategy
    Forecasting
    IRI
    Competitive Analysis
    Customer Insight
    P&L Management
    Retail Category Management

    Load more skills
    See all Director Category Management skills
    Category Specialist
     Very Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    82%

    A Category Specialist shares 82% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Merchandising
    P&L Management
    Market Research
    Brand Management
    Business Development
    Marketing
    Marketing Strategy
    E-commerce

    Load more skills
    See all Category Specialist skills
    Want to transform your career?
    Get the free career mentorship email that 1.2m professionals use to get ahead.
    ★  Get the free email
     Click to Learn More
    Category Development Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    68%

    A Category Development Manager shares 68% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Nielsen
    Category Insights
    Consumer Products
    Categorization
    Customer Insight
    IRI
    Shopper Marketing
    Competitive Analysis

    Load more skills
    See all Category Development Manager skills
    Category Management Specialist
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    65%

    A Category Management Specialist shares 65% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load more skills
    See all Category Management Specialist skills
    Category Analyst
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    74%

    A Category Analyst shares 74% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load more skills
    See all Category Analyst skills

    Alternative Careers and Related Jobs For a Category Manager

    Here is a list of possible career transitions and similar professions a typical Category Manager often moves into, within or outside their industry.

    Procurement Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
    ★  Very Popular

    Skill Similarity

    57%

    A Procurement Manager shares 57% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Supply Management
    Contract Management
    Procurement Contracts
    Supplier Relationship Management
    Change Management
    Operations Management
    Logistics Management
    Contract Management

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Procurement Manager skills
    Sourcing Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
    ★  Very Popular

    Skill Similarity

    61%

    A Sourcing Manager shares 61% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Contract Management
    Supply Management
    Change Management
    Outsourcing
    SAP Products
    Continuous Improvement
    Cross-functional Team Leadership
    Supply Management

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Sourcing Manager skills
    Thinking about changing careers or jobs?
    Get this essential checklist to guide you through each step of it. It's free.
    ★  Get the free resource
     Available for a limited time
    Strategic Sourcing Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    56%

    A Strategic Sourcing Manager shares 56% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Spend Analysis
    New Vendor Development
    Supplier Development
    Supplier Evaluation
    Vendor Management
    Cost Reduction
    Continuous Improvement
    Manufacturing

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Strategic Sourcing Manager skills
    Buyer
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    65%

    A Buyer shares 65% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Merchandising
    Inventory Management
    Microsoft Access
    Purchasing Negotiation
    Purchase Orders
    Customer Service
    Retail Buying
    Merchandise Planning

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Buyer skills
    Merchandise Director
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    58%

    A Merchandise Director shares 58% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Merchandising
    Trend Analysis
    Merchandise Planning
    Visual Merchandising
    Apparel
    Product Assortment Planning
    Fashion
    Forecasting

    Load more skills
    See all Merchandise Director skills
    Director Of Procurement
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    58%

    A Director Of Procurement shares 58% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Supply Management
    Contract Management
    Cross-functional Team Leadership
    E-procurement
    Forecasting
    Continuous Improvement
    Supplier Development
    Spend Analysis

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Director Of Procurement skills
    Purchasing Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    54%

    A Purchasing Manager shares 54% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Inventory Management
    Purchase Management
    Manufacturing
    Sales Management
    Supply Management
    Operations Management
    Continuous Improvement
    Forecasting

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Purchasing Manager skills
    Key Account Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    57%

    A Key Account Manager shares 57% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    Explore this career profile See all Key Account Manager skills
    Strategic Sourcing Specialist
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    51%

    A Strategic Sourcing Specialist shares 51% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    See all Strategic Sourcing Specialist skills
    Procurement Specialist
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    50%

    A Procurement Specialist shares 50% of core skills with a Category Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    Explore this career profile See all Procurement Specialist skills

    High Value Skills to Build as a Category Manager

    If you're a Category Manager and are planning to move into a similar profession or alternative career, it's important to build the right skill sets to position you for your next career.

    We analyzed thousands of career transitions in your industry and identified the highest value skills to build as a Category Manager. Building these skills will set you up for the most number of the above careers.

    • Supply Management
    • Contract Management
    • Procurement Contracts
    • Supplier Relationship Management
    • Change Management
    • Operations Management
    • Logistics Management
    • Outsourcing
    • SAP Products
    • Continuous Improvement
    • Cross-functional Team Leadership
    • Spend Analysis
    • New Vendor Development
    • Supplier Development
    • Supplier Evaluation
    • Vendor Management
    • Cost Reduction
    • Manufacturing

    Word Cloud of Skills to Build as a Category Manager

    Here is a word cloud of the skills above. Use this as inspiration for the kinds of transferrable skills you need to build to move into a similar profession or alternative career.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What skills do I need to develop to become a Director Of Procurement?

    As a Category Manager trying to become a Director Of Procurement, you should develop skills like:

    • Supply Management
    • Contract Management
    • Cross-functional Team Leadership
    • E-procurement
    • Forecasting
    • Continuous Improvement
    • Supplier Development
    • Spend Analysis

    What skills do you need to be a Sourcing Manager?

    If you want to become a Sourcing Manager, you need to develop skills like Contract Management, Supply Management, Change Management, Outsourcing, SAP Products, Continuous Improvement, Cross-functional Team Leadership and Supplier Evaluation.

    What are similar jobs to a Category Manager?

    Here is a list of alternative careers and related jobs for a Category Manager:

    • Strategic Sourcing Specialist
    • Buyer
    • Procurement Specialist
    • Procurement Manager
    • Strategic Sourcing Manager
    • Merchandise Director
    • Key Account Manager
    • Purchasing Manager

    What are some alternative careers a former Category Manager should consider?

    Here is a list of jobs a former a Category Manager could consider moving to:

    • Key Account Manager
    • Merchandise Director
    • Purchasing Manager
    • Procurement Specialist
    • Strategic Sourcing Manager
    • Buyer
    • Director Of Procurement
    • Strategic Sourcing Specialist

    What are job titles that can be used to describe a Category Manager?

    Job titles that are often used interchangeably with a Category Manager are:

    • Category Management Specialist
    • Category Analyst
    • Director Category Management
    • Category Specialist
    • Category Development Manager
    © 2024 Resume Worded. All rights reserved.
    Get expert insights from hiring managers
    ×