Position - Category Finance Manager

Department - Category

Reporting To - CPO

Key Responsibilities

1. Gross Margin Improvement

- Drive category-level Gross Margin improvement initiatives to achieve AOP gross margin targets.
- Conduct detailed analysis of gross margins across categories, SKUs and channels.
- Identify margin leakage arising from pricing gaps, excessive markdowns, procurement costs, higher discounts and product mix.
- Develop action plans to improve margins through pricing optimization, driving category mix, sourcing improvements and volume leverage.
- Monitor actual GM% against budgets and forecasts and recommend corrective actions on a weekly basis.
- Evaluate profitability of new product launches before go-live and launch.
- Analyze product mix and recommend higher-margin strategies.
- Track margin realization from procurement to final sale and identify gap/ leakage.

2. Pricing Strategy & Price Revision

- Lead periodic pricing reviews across all product categories.
- Develop pricing models considering:

1. Cost increases
2. Competitive / market pricing
3. Demand sensitivity
4. Target gross margins

- Recommend selling price revisions to improve profitability without adversely impacting sales volumes.
- Analyze price elasticity to determine optimal pricing.
- Review impact of price changes on volume, revenue contribution
- Conduct pre- and post-price revision profitability analysis.
- Work closely with merchandising teams to implement pricing changes.
- Ensure timely updates of pricing masters across all online & offline channels.

3. Discount Optimization & Promotion Governance

- Develop and implement discount governance frameworks across all channels.
- Review and deep dive all existing discounts
- Monitor category-wise and store-wise discount percentages.
- Identify unnecessary discounting and recommend corrective actions.




- Establish discount approval matrices and financial thresholds.
- Review customer / store specific discounts.
- Review and deep dive all credit notes issued and recommend corrective actions
- Recommend discount and credit note rationalization initiatives to improve realized margins.

4. Category Profitability Analysis

- Prepare weekly COGS for each category and analyze gross margins
- Present actionable commercial insights on margins to senior management.
- Highlight underperforming / low margin categories / SKUs and recommend turnaround actions.

5. Business Partnering

- Partner closely with Category Teams, supply chain, CX, retail operations and marketing teams
- Challenge commercial decisions using financial analysis.
- Participate in category planning meetings
- Pricing initiatives and robust approval during EOSS, black Friday sales
- Support strategic decisions through financial modelling.
- Advise business teams on profitability implications of promotions, pricing, and assortment changes.

6. Inventory Management

- Monitor ageing inventory and identify products at risk of markdown.
- Recommend inventory liquidation strategies while minimizing margin erosion.
- Support inventory planning to reduce excess stock and improve inventory turns.
- Analyze the financial impact of clearance sales and promotional events.
- Drive initiatives to improve Gross margins and working capital efficiency.

7. Vendor Profitability & Commercial Negotiations





- Analyze supplier / Outsourced factories profitability and commercial performance.
- Review existing vendor rates, rebates, promotional support, and incentives.
- Support procurement and sourcing teams during vendor negotiations by providing financial insights.
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction and margin enhancement.
- Evaluate landed costs and sourcing alternatives.
- Evaluate sourcing leverage through volumes keeping in mind working capital efficiency as well

8. Financial Planning & Forecasting

- Prepare weekly COGS at a category level to analyze GM.
- Perform weekly variance analysis against Budgets.
- Develop business case/ financial model for new product launch and margin expansion

10. Controls & Governance

- Ensure adherence and strengthen internal financial controls over pricing, gross margins, discounts and credit notes.
- Review supply chain related commercial contracts from a financial perspective.
- Support statutory and internal audits related to commercial finance.

Qualifications

- Chartered Accountant (CA)
- 2 to 5 years of experience in Commercial Finance, Category Finance, FP&A;, or Finance Business Partnering.
- Prior experience in Retail, Fashion, Apparel, Lifestyle, FMCG, or E-commerce is preferred.

Technical Skills

- Advanced Microsoft Excel
- Claude
- Financial Modelling
- Pricing Analytics
- Profitability Analysis
- Inventory Analytics

Behavioral Competencies

- Strong commercial acumen with a profitability mindset
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Influencing and stakeholder management
- Strong business partnering capabilities
- Data-driven decision-making
- Effective communication and presentation skills
- Ability to work in a rapid-paced retail environment

📌 Category Finance Manager (Mumbai)
🏢 BOMBAY SHIRT
📍 Mumbai