Role Overview:

The Senior Manager – Category is responsible for driving the performance of an assigned product category through end-to-end buying, planning, and vendor management. The role ensures product availability, competitive pricing, margin delivery, and timely promotions by executing the category strategy in collaboration with merchandising, marketing, and store teams. The role also supports new product launches, vendor negotiations, and stock health to enable business growth across offline and online channels.

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Planning & Commercial Performance

- Drive annual category sales, gross margin, and inventory turn objectives in alignment with AOP targets
- Execute category plans including assortment planning, SKU selection, pricing, and range rationalization
- Conduct monthly reviews on category financials, inventory position, and performance gaps
- Support forecasting, target setting, and performance monitoring across stores and channels
- Ensure timely analysis of market trends, consumer insights, and competitive benchmarking

2. Buying Operations & Vendor Management

- Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers (domestic and international) based on quality, pricing, and product fit especially for Tier 2 and 3 brands
- Negotiate pricing, margins, terms, and promotional support for the assigned category
- Manage buyer contracts, vendor rebates, sell-through initiatives, and exclusive launch partnerships
- Monitor suppliers fill rate, lead times, service levels, and compliance with procurement processes
- Maintain robust commercial hygiene including documentation, claims, and reconciliation

3.



Inventory Planning & Stock Governance

- Track inventory health, including ageing stock, open-to-buy (OTB), and replenishment needs
- Align forecasts with merchandising and supply chain teams to maintain optimal stock availability
- Drive liquidation planning, markdown execution, and sellout support for slow or obsolete SKUs
- Govern pricing execution, including cost accuracy, discount structures, and promotional effectiveness
- Review stock placement to ensure availability across high-performing stores and digital channels

4. Promotion Management & Channel Readiness

- Collaborate with marketing to plan and execute category-specific campaigns and promotions
- Ensure readiness across stores and e-commerce through stock planning, planogram execution, and visibility support
- Select SKUs for advertising based on business priority, availability, and promotional viability
- Analyze promotion ROI and track post-campaign performance to guide future initiatives
- Maintain promotional discipline, including offer validity, signage accuracy, and stock coverage

5. Team Collaboration & Process Compliance

- Work closely with cross-functional teams for accurate execution of category tasks
- Ensure compliance with SOPs for buying, vendor management, and pricing governance
- Provide regular inputs to business reviews, merchandising forums, and joint business planning sessions
- Support development of team capability in data analysis, vendor interaction, and commercial planning
- Contribute to the implementation of system/process improvements that enhance buying efficiency

📌 Senior Manager – Category – Personal Gadgets (Mumbai)
🏢 Croma
📍 Mumbai