Job Title: Assistant Manager – Product Category
Department: Marketing
Division: Product Category
Location: Head Office
Reports To: Category Head
About the Role
We are looking for an Assistant Manager – Product Category to drive category growth, profitability, product planning, and market development across our consumer product categories.
The ideal candidate should have hands-on experience in managing one or more of the following product categories: Fans | Flashlights | Speakers | Personal Care | Mixers The role involves category planning, demand forecasting, inventory management, competitor analysis, new product development, pricing/scheme planning, and close coordination with Sales, Marketing, Factory, and NPD teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Plan and execute category strategies in coordination with the Category Head to achieve business and revenue objectives.
- Analyse category performance, sales trends, market dynamics, and growth opportunities.
- Monitor competitor products, pricing, launches, promotions, distribution, and market activities.
- Conduct regular market visits to understand customer preferences, emerging trends, competitor movements, and category opportunities.
- Drive demand forecasting using historical sales, S&OP; plans, market trends, seasonality, and business inputs.
- Monitor inventory levels and ensure optimum stock availability while maintaining healthy inventory turnover.
- Coordinate with Factory, Supply Chain, Procurement, and relevant teams for production planning and timely product availability.
- Support and lead New Product Development (NPD) initiatives, including market research, product benchmarking, product specifications, and launch planning.
- Identify gaps in the existing product portfolio and recommend new products, variants, features, or category extensions.
- Conduct product and competitor benchmarking to support product positioning and pricing decisions.
- Design and implement sales schemes and promotional initiatives in coordination with Sales and Marketing teams.
- Track the performance of schemes and promotions and recommend improvements based on business results.
- Work closely with Sales and Marketing teams to ensure effective product placement, visibility, communication, and market activation.
- Analyse category-wise sales and profitability and provide actionable recommendations to the Category Head.
- Strengthen distribution and channel performance by understanding market and channel dynamics.
- Support product launches from planning through market execution and post-launch performance evaluation.
- Prepare regular category reviews, sales analysis, market intelligence, and management reports.
Key Result Areas (KRAs):
- Category Growth & Revenue
- Drive category growth through effective planning and execution.
- Support achievement of category revenue and business objectives.
- Identify opportunities for portfolio and market expansion.
- Demand Forecasting & Inventory Management
- Ensure accurate demand forecasting based on sales history, market trends, and S&OP; inputs.
- Maintain appropriate inventory levels and product availability.
- Improve inventory movement and reduce ageing/slow-moving stock.
- New Product Development
- Identify opportunities for new products and product variants.
- Support NPD from market research and benchmarking through launch.
- Monitor post-launch performance against business expectations.
- Market & Competition Analysis
- Track competitor products, pricing, schemes, launches, and market activities.
- Provide timely recommendations based on market developments.
- Identify emerging consumer and category trends.
- Sales Schemes & Category Activation
- Develop and execute category-specific sales schemes and promotional initiatives.
- Monitor scheme effectiveness and recommend corrective actions.
- Coordinate with Sales and Marketing for effective product placement and promotion.
- Cross-Functional Coordination
- Work closely with Sales, Marketing, NPD, Factory, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders.
- Ensure smooth coordination for product planning, availability, launches, and market execution.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- Category revenue and growth performance
- Demand forecast accuracy against actual sales
- Inventory turnover and stock availability
- New product launch performance
- Sales performance of promotional schemes
- Product/category expansion initiatives
- Market and competitor intelligence effectiveness
- Timely execution of category plans and product launches
Required Skills & Competencies
- Strong analytical and numerical skills with advanced Excel proficiency
- Category management and product planning experience
- Demand forecasting and inventory planning
- Market research and competitor analysis
- Product benchmarking and portfolio analysis
- Understanding of pricing, schemes, and product positioning
- Strong business and commercial orientation
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving ability
- Strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills
- Ability to analyse sales data and convert insights into actionable business decisions
- Ability to work in a rapid-paced and target-driven environment
- Proactive approach with strong ownership and execution capability
Educational Qualification:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree, preferably in Business, Marketing, Management, Commerce, or a related discipline.
Experience:
- 4–6 years of relevant experience in Category Management, Product Management, Product Planning, or a related function.
Candidates with hands-on experience in any of the following categories are encouraged to apply:
- Fans
- Flashlights
- Speakers
- Personal Care Appliances
- Mixers / Mixer Grinders
Prior experience in Sales/Channel Management will be an added advantage.
Strong understanding of distribution and channel dynamics is preferred.
Who Should Apply?
Professionals who have experience managing product categories and are looking to take ownership of category growth, product portfolio, NPD, forecasting, inventory, market intelligence, and commercial execution.
If you have strong category expertise in Fans, Flashlights, Speakers, Personal Care, or Mixers, we would like to hear from you.
For Further details, visit our Company Website: https://impexstore.com/
Company career portal: https://impexvoyonfolks.azurewebsites.net/careers
📌 Assistant Manager – Product Category - Kitchen and Home Appliances (Manjeri)
🏢 IMPEX
📍 Manjeri