Category Director - Bikes - #196099

Category Director — Bikes

About Brompton Bicycle

Brompton Bicycle is a British icon. Since 1975 we have designed and hand-built the world's most refined folding bicycle in our London factory, selling in over 45 countries to riders who refuse to compromise between city living and genuine cycling pleasure. We are a company driven by craft, engineering obsession and a belief that urban mobility should be both practical and joyful.

As we scale our global ambitions — expanding our product portfolio, entering new markets and investing in our next generation of platforms — we are creating this senior commercial leadership role to own the category that is at the very heart of everything we do.

Role Purpose

The Category Director — Bikes is a leadership role with end-to-end accountability for the global success of Brompton's Bikes category. As part of the whole category team under the Go to Market department, you will be the global owner of category performance, integrating product, market and operational inputs into clear commercial decisions that drive profitable, sustainable growth. The Category team will be a trio with the Product Director and Marketing lead for the bike category.

This is a role for a commercially rigorous, strategically sharp leader who is equally comfortable setting long-term category direction and holding themselves accountable for near-term performance. You will work across the full commercial cycle — from portfolio strategy and pricing architecture through to volume planning, inventory management and regional execution — influencing senior stakeholders across Product, Brand, Operations and regional teams worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Commercial Direction

You will define and lead the global Bikes category strategy, making clear choices about where and how Brompton competes. This includes:

• Setting the long-term category direction across range architecture, pricing and segmentation, channels and route-to-market, and geographic prioritisation
• Balancing platform investment, portfolio shape, and market opportunity to deliver sustainable revenue growth and margin improvement
• Translating business strategy into category-level commercial commitments that are coherent across all markets
  
  

Market Insight & Opportunity Definition

You will lead Brompton's view of the global Bikes market, ensuring commercial decisions are grounded in rigorous insight:

• Develop and maintain the company's view of total addressable market (TAM), growth dynamics, and regional opportunity
• Translate insight into clear strategic choices about where to compete, where not to compete, and which customer segments and use-cases to prioritise
• Ensure the category strategy is driven by data and commercial reality, not assumptions
  
  

Volume Planning & Forecasting

You will own global volume planning and revenue forecasting for the Bikes category:

• Set the initial global category plan, integrating product roadmap inputs, market demand signals, and regional constraints
• Challenge and refine regional forecasts to ensure credibility, consistency, and alignment to category strategy
• Own the base business forecast across existing product lines, and ensure new product plans are underpinned by realistic demand assumptions
  
  

Global Leadership & Market Integration

You will act as the global integrator of category performance, leading through influence across a matrixed organisation:

• Set category targets and align regional delivery, working directly with regional leaders to validate plans, identify risks early, and drive corrective action
• Hold regions accountable for delivery against agreed targets, while supporting with clear range guidance, pricing discipline, and commercial clarity
• Be the connective tissue between global commercial ambition and local market execution
  
  

Portfolio & Lifecycle Management

You will define and actively manage the Bikes product portfolio throughout its lifecycle:

• Own platform and product family strategy, SKU rationalisation, and complexity management
• Drive lifecycle decisions across new product introduction, ramp-up and scaling, and phase-out and exit
• Ensure the range remains coherent, differentiated and commercially viable at all times
  
  

Commercial Inputs to Product Development

You will be the commercial voice in product development decisions:

• Provide clear commercial guardrails to the Product team — including margin requirements, market timing constraints, and demand assumptions
• Lead commercial input into New Product Introduction (NPI) business cases and investment decisions
• Ensure every product decision is commercially viable, aligned to category strategy, and supported by credible demand
  
  

Inventory Ownership

You will hold end-to-end commercial accountability for finished goods inventory performance:

• Own total stock levels and working capital outcomes for the Bikes category
• Manage range balance across platforms and models throughout lifecycle transitions
• Work in partnership with Operations on execution while retaining accountability for the avoidance of excess, obsolescence and distressed stock
  
  

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) & Tactical Planning (S&OP)

You will own the Bikes category demand position within Brompton's IBP and S&OP cycles:

• Represent the category at Demand Review, Supply Review, Integrated Reconciliation, and Management Business Review forums
• Ensure alignment between product roadmap decisions, demand forecasts, supply constraints, and financial outcomes
• Translate long-term product strategy into forecastable demand, credible revenue plans, and executable operational requirements
• Resolve demand vs supply vs financial trade-offs within the category, escalating only where required
  
  

Decision Authority & Accountability

You will be the final owner of:

• Category strategy, pricing architecture, and portfolio structure
• Volume plan and global revenue forecast
• Product trade-offs and exit decisions within the Bikes category
  
  

You will be accountable for:

• Revenue, margin and overall contribution of the Bikes category
• Accuracy and credibility of global forecasts
• Range health — clarity, differentiation, and simplicity
• Pricing discipline and consistency across markets
• Commercial success of product launches
• Inventory performance and working capital efficiency
• Quality of regional plans and delivery against targets
  
  

Key Working Relationships

You will have direct reports from planners and pricing margin specialist.

You will work in close partnership with the wider category team and senior leaders across the business. Key interfaces include:

Product Director — Bikes

• Joint owner of new product commercial success
• Provides commercial guardrails; receives product roadmap and definition
  
  

Marketing Lead — Bikes

• Aligns launch plans with demand, pricing and commercial priorities
• Works within category segmentation and positioning guardrails
  
  

Regional Go to Market Teams

• Provide demand inputs and market insight; own local execution and sell-out
• Held accountable for delivery against agreed targets
  
  

Operations & Supply Chain

• Execute supply and inventory plans; provide constraints and capability inputs
• Key partner on inventory outcomes and lifecycle transitions
• Facilitate the IBP and tactical Planning processes to ensure alignment across the business
  
  

Finance

• Financial modelling, financial performance, business case appraisal and provides challenge to the category team
  
  

Person Specification

We are looking for a commercially driven leader with deep experience in global consumer product businesses. The table below sets out what we consider essential and desirable in the successful candidate.

Criterion

Essential

Desirable

Commercial Experience

• Significant senior commercial experience in a global consumer product business
• Proven ownership of category P&L, including revenue, margin, and cost lines
• Experience setting and delivering pricing strategy across multiple markets
• Ability to match a Product Definition with a Price Point and Volume optimisation. Then apply a lifecycle curve to it, including near / far markets and channel launch pace
• Experience in premium, design-led or lifestyle consumer brands
• Background in the cycling, outdoor, or sports industry
  
  

Strategy & Portfolio

• Demonstrated ability to define and execute a multi-year category strategy
• Experience managing complex product portfolios including lifecycle decisions (launch, ramp, phase-out)
• Skilled at making clear strategic choices about where and where not to compete
• Experience working across both hardware and accessories/services categories
• Exposure to platform-based product architecture
  
  

Forecasting & Planning

• Strong track record in global volume planning and revenue forecasting
• Experience integrating multi-source inputs (regional, market, product) into a single credible plan
• Ability to challenge and interrogate forecasts with commercial rigour
• Hands-on experience with IBP or S&OP processes in a manufacturing environment
  
  

Market & Customer Insight

• Able to develop and articulate a clear view of market dynamics, competitive positioning and customer segmentation
• Translates insight into concrete strategic decisions, not just frameworks
• Comfortable working with data and holding conclusions to commercial reality
• Resourceful in capturing and distilling internal and external data to drive fact-based decision over anecdotal evidence
• Experience commissioning and interpreting primary consumer research
• Knowledge of global urban mobility trends
  
  

Inventory & Operations

• Understanding of finished goods inventory management and working capital implications
• Experience navigating launch, ramp and exit transitions without creating excess or obsolete stock
• Able to hold commercial accountability for inventory outcomes while partnering with Operations
• Experience with supply-constrained categories requiring careful demand shaping
  
  

Leadership & Influence

• Proven ability to lead cross-functionally and deliver through influence in a matrixed organisation
• Track record of aligning senior stakeholders across product, marketing, supply chain and finance
• Comfortable holding regional teams accountable with clarity and commercial discipline
• Experience managing direct reports and developing commercial talent
• Exposure to working across both developed and emerging markets
  
  

Communication & Judgement

• Clear, concise communicator able to operate at Board level
• Strong analytical judgement — comfortable making decisions under uncertainty
• Able to simplify complexity and create clarity for stakeholders at all levels
• Experience presenting business cases for significant capital or product investment
  
  

Education

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience
• MBA or postgraduate business qualification
  
  

What We Offer

Joining Brompton means joining a company where craft, ambition and purpose sit side by side. We offer:

• A competitive salary and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension contribution
• Private medical insurance
• 25 days' annual leave plus UK public holidays
• A Brompton bicycle through our employee hire scheme (naturally)
• Employee discount on all Brompton products and accessories
• Access to our London headquarters and a vibrant, passionate team
• The opportunity to shape the commercial future of one of Britain's most iconic brands
  
  

How To Apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining why you are the right person for this role and what you would bring to Brompton's next chapter.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Brompton is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourages applications from groups currently under-represented in commercial leadership roles.

Closing date: Rolling — we encourage early applications.