Associate, Founder's Office (Category Management)

Associate, Founder's Office (Category Management)

Location: Nine Elms, London, Full-time

About Zapp

Zapp is London's leading premium convenience retail platform. Founded in 2020, our vision is to disrupt the multi-trillion dollar convenience retail market, currently dominated by major players, by developing best-in-class customer-centric technology and fulfilment solutions. Zapp partners with some of the world's leading brands to deliver an exclusive range of hand-picked products 24/7, delivered in minutes.

About the Role

This is a high-energy role for someone who wants to get into the engine of a fast-scaling retail business and make a real mark quickly. In this role, you will sit within Zapp's Category Management team, which owns the full product range: what we sell, who we buy it from, what we pay for it and how it performs. You will work directly alongside the Director and the Founder's Office on the projects that matter most.

You will not be given a narrow task list. Depending on where the team needs most, you may own specific categories outright: managing the range, running the supplier relationships and being accountable for the commercial performance of that space. The ideal profile has come out of banking, consulting or a high-growth environment, or has built real commercial experience as a buyer or category manager at a high-performing retailer or e-commerce business. What matters is that you think clearly, move fast and take ownership. This role is a clear pathway into a Category Management leadership position at Zapp.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Analysis and Insight

• Build analysis that drives real ranging, pricing and negotiation decisions: category performance reviews, margin deep-dives, competitor benchmarking and trend identification

• Translate data from Zapp's internal systems into clear, actionable recommendations that the team can move on quickly

• Own the category reporting cadence: weekly performance packs, supplier scorecards and range health dashboards

Category and Supplier Ownership

• Own specific categories end-to-end: managing the range, running supplier relationships and being accountable for the commercial performance of that space

• Lead supplier meetings and negotiations for your categories, building the commercial cases and driving the outcomes independently

• Manage the ranging process for owned categories: from market scouting and NPD identification through to onboarding, launch and in-life performance tracking

• Track supplier compliance against agreed terms and resolve issues directly, escalating only where genuinely needed

Project Ownership

• Lead discrete commercial projects from scoping to delivery: category reviews, new product launches, promotional programmes and cross-functional initiatives

• Work across Marketing, Operations, Product and Finance to coordinate delivery and keep projects on track without being chased

• Prepare materials for leadership reviews, Founder meetings and partner engagements

Day-to-Day Execution

• Get into the detail of the business: understand how the range is performing, where the gaps are and what needs to move

• Spot inefficiencies in how the team operates and propose improvements with a clear rationale and a bias for action

• Be the person who picks up the hard problem and solves it before being asked twice

What We're Looking For

• 2-4 years of experience in strategy consulting, investment banking, VC/PE, a high-growth start-up, or a buying or category management role at a high-performing retailer or e-commerce business such as Ocado, Amazon or similar

• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data; SQL is a plus but not required

• A clear communicator who can write a tight brief, build a compelling slide and hold a room in a supplier meeting

• Highly organised and self-directed: you manage your own workload, hit your deadlines and do not need to be followed up

• An instinct for commercial problems and a drive to resolve them, not just document them

• Any exposure to buying, supplier negotiation or category management is a strong plus: this role will take on genuine commercial ownership quickly

• Curiosity about AI and automation tools and how they can be applied to commercial work; hands-on experience using AI to improve analysis, reporting or workflows is a strong plus

• Familiarity with Looker or other BI tools is a strong advantage

• Exposure to retail, grocery or consumer goods is a bonus

Benefits

This is a genuinely differentiated opportunity: direct access to the Founder and Senior Leadership Team of one of London's most ambitious retail platforms, with real ownership of a function that sits at the core of the business. Your work will be visible, consequential and fast-moving.

We also offer:

• Competitive salary & equity package

• 25 days holiday per year (plus all bank holidays)

• Private Health Insurance

• Extended sick pay and maternity/paternity leave pay

• Cycle to work scheme