Job Description

Role Summary

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We are looking for an entrepreneurial and commercially driven Category Lead – Food &

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Gourmet Gifting to build, scale, and lead one of IGP's most strategic growth categories.

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This role requires a leader with robust e-commerce experience, proven P&L; ownership, and

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a track record of building and scaling categories from 0-to-1 and beyond. The ideal

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candidate will drive category strategy, sourcing, merchandising, vendor partnerships, pricing,

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inventory planning, and customer growth while delivering sustainable revenue and

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profitability.

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The Category Lead will own the end-to-end business performance of the category and play a

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critical role in shaping IGPs leadership position in the food and gourmet gifting market.

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Key Responsibilities

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Business & P&L; Ownership

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 Own the complete category P&L; including revenue, gross margin, contribution margin, inventory health, and profitability.

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 Develop and execute a multi-year growth roadmap for the Food & Gourmet category.

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 Drive category revenue growth through assortment expansion, customer acquisition, and repeat purchase strategies.

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 Establish financial targets and monitor performance against business goals.

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Category Building & Growth

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 Build and scale food and gourmet gifting categories across:

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o Dry Fruits

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o Chocolates

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o Gourmet Foods

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o Snacks

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o Sweets

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o Bakery

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o Festive Hampers

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o Corporate Gifting

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 Identify emerging consumer trends and new growth opportunities.

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 Launch and incubate new product categories, brands, and gifting concepts.

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E-commerce & Merchandising

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 Lead assortment planning and category merchandising across digital channels.

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 Optimize product mix, pricing architecture, promotions, and customer experience.

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 Improve category KPIs including:

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o Revenue

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o Conversion Rate

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o Average Order Value (AOV)

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o Repeat Purchase Rate

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o Category Contribution Margin

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Vendor & Brand Partnerships

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 Build strategic relationships with national brands, premium manufacturers, importers, and regional suppliers.

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 Lead commercial negotiations and secure favorable trade terms.

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 Develop exclusive partnerships and private-label opportunities.

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 Ensure supply continuity, quality compliance, and competitive sourcing.

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Inventory & Demand Planning

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 Partner with supply chain teams to optimize inventory investments and working capital.

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 Drive accurate demand forecasting for key occasions such as:

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o Diwali

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o Rakhi

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o Valentines Day

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o Mothers Day

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o Christmas & New Year

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 Manage inventory risks including excess stock, expiry, and stock-outs.

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Marketing & Growth Initiatives

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 Collaborate with Growth, CRM, and Marketing teams to drive category visibility and customer acquisition.

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 Lead festive campaigns, new launches, and promotional events.

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 Drive trade-funded marketing initiatives and vendor-supported campaigns.

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Cross-functional Leadership

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 Work closely with Operations, Finance, Product, Technology, Supply Chain, and Customer Experience teams.

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 Ensure seamless execution of category initiatives and launches.

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 Build scalable processes and operating mechanisms to support rapid growth.

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Desired Candidate Profile

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Must Have

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 10–15 years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising,

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Business Management, or E-commerce.

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 Proven experience managing large-scale food, FMCG, gourmet, gifting, or consumer categories.

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 Strong e-commerce background with exposure to online category growth and digital merchandising.

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 Demonstrated ownership of category/business P&L.;

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 Proven experience building and scaling categories from 0-to-1 and 1-to-10 stages.

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 Strong commercial acumen and vendor negotiation skills.

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 Experience managing large SKU portfolios and complex supply ecosystems.

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 Data-driven decision-making mindset.

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Preferred Experience

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 Food & Beverage

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 Gourmet Foods

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 FMCG

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 Modern Retail

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 E-commerce Marketplaces

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 Gifting & Lifestyle Categories

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Success Metrics

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 Revenue Growth

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 Gross Margin Improvement

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 Category Contribution Margin

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 New Category Launch Success

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 Inventory Turns

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 Fill Rate & Service Levels

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 Vendor Performance

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 Customer Repeat Rate

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 Average Order Value (AOV)

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 Market Share within Food Gifting

📌 Category Lead - Food & Gourmet Gifting (Mumbai)
🏢 IGP
📍 Mumbai