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 

  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.