Manager - Brands & Commercial

Reports to: Head of D2C

About the Role

We are looking for a sharp, commercially minded operator who can understand what is happening in the business, form a clear point of view, and act quickly.

You will work closely with the Head of D2C and act as the commercial point of truth across brands, the market and StarZen's omnichannel business.

This is not a reporting role. It is not a pure buying role. It is not a strategy role.

You are expected to understand the numbers, make the commercial call, and drive action.

What You Will Own

1. Brand Intelligence

What are our brands telling us?

You will work closely with brands and distributors and maintain a clear view of:

- upcoming launches and product roadmaps
- supply and allocations
- commercial terms and incentives
- vendor funding
- channel priorities
- opportunities and risks

You should know what is coming early enough for StarZen to act on it. 2. Market Intelligence

What is the market telling us?

You will continuously understand

- competitor pricing
- assortment
- availability
- promotions
- new launches
- changing customer demand
- category and market movements

We are not looking for someone who simply sends competitor screenshots. We want someone who can say: "This matters. This doesn't. Here is what we should do."

3. Commercial Truth

What are our own numbers telling us?

You will understand the business deeply, including at SKU level. You will regularly work across:

- sales
- gross margin
- stock
- ageing
- sell-through
- availability
- pricing
- promotions
- brand and category performance
- retail and e-commerce performance

When different teams have different explanations for what is happening, you should be able to establish the commercial truth. 4. Commercial Action

What are we doing about it?

Analysis must result in action. Depending on the situation, that could mean:





- buying more stock
- stopping or reducing buys
- changing prices
- negotiating with a vendor
- securing additional allocation
- moving stock between channels
- changing the assortment
- starting or stopping a promotion
- securing vendor funding
- clearing ageing inventory
- changing the commercial plan

Buying is an important part of the role. You will be expected to make sound decisions on what to buy, how much to buy and why. You will have a Commercial Operations Executive supporting you with POs, master data, trackers and recurring administrative work. Your time should be spent on commercial judgement, decisions, negotiation and execution.

What this looks like in practice:

"Stop the promotion. We're giving away four points of margin and it isn't creating incremental volume. The competitor moved price on two hero SKUs, not the category. We match those two, hold everything else, and move the vendor funding into the flagship line." And by the same afternoon, the vendor conversation has happened, pricing is aligned, and execution is already moving.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who has personally owned a P&L;, category, or business line's outcome, not managed a team that did. Beyond that, you should be:

- commercially sharp
- very solid with numbers
- fast and decisive
- street smart
- highly curious
- hungry to build
- comfortable operating with incomplete information
- robust in negotiation
- relentless about follow-through




- willing to challenge assumptions
- comfortable getting hands dirty

You should be the kind of person who spots a problem in the morning and has already started solving it before lunch.

Preferred Experience

Ideally, you will have 4-8 years of relevant experience, preferably across one or more of:

- consumer electronics
- smartphones
- e-commerce
- marketplaces
- electronics retail
- D2C consumer brands
- high-growth consumer businesses

Undergraduate education from IIT Kharagpur, Madras, Bombay, or Delhi, or BITS Pilani is a strong plus. Relevant current or previous roles could include:
- Category Manager
- Senior Category Manager
- Category Business Manager
- Business Manager
- Commercial Manager
- GTM Manager
- E-commerce Business Manager
- Buyer with broader commercial ownership

We care more about what you have actually owned and delivered than your job title. The strongest fit is often not the most senior title at a company - it is the person already operating above their current scope. You Will Likely Have Experience In

- owning a category or business target
- purchasing and inventory decisions
- pricing and promotions
- working with gross margin and profitability
- vendor and brand negotiations
- inventory and ageing management
- product launches
- competitor analysis
- working with detailed commercial data
- taking action when performance is off plan

What This Role Is Not

We are not looking for someone who is only:

- a procurement specialist
- a report creator
- a business analyst
- a strategy/deck person
- a vendor relationship manager
- a corporate coordinator

You need to be able to think and execute. Your Job in One Line

Know what the brands, the market and our own numbers are telling us, and make sure we do something about it.

📌 Manager (Gurugram)
🏢 StarZen
📍 Gurugram