About the role:

As a Category Management, you will be responsible for driving the growth, profitability, and operational performance of the Staples category. You will manage category strategy, assortment planning, pricing, sourcing, vendor relationships, promotions, and inventory performance to ensure a strong customer proposition while achieving business targets.

The ideal candidate should have experience in category management, buying, merchandising, or business management within e-commerce, quick commerce, modern trade, or FMCG retail.

What you'll do:

1. Category Strategy & Business Growth

- Own category revenue, gross margins, profitability, and growth targets.
- Develop and execute category strategies aligned with business objectives and customer needs.
- Identify growth opportunities across subcategories such as rice, dals, pulses, flour, edible oils, sugar, spices, and other essential grocery products.
- Monitor category performance and take corrective actions to improve business outcomes.

2. Assortment & Portfolio Management

- Build and optimize the product assortment based on customer demand, regional preferences, sales trends, and profitability.
- Identify assortment gaps and onboard relevant products, brands, and suppliers.
- Manage the balance between national brands, regional brands, and private-label offerings, wherever applicable.
- Track SKU-level performance and rationalize underperforming products.

3. Pricing & Promotions

- Develop competitive pricing strategies while maintaining healthy margins.
- Track competitor pricing, market trends, and promotional activities.
- Plan and execute promotions, campaigns, and offers to drive sales and customer acquisition.
- Evaluate promotional effectiveness and optimize spends based on business impact.

4. Vendor & Supplier Management





- Build and manage relationships with manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers.
- Lead commercial negotiations on pricing, margins, payment terms, schemes, and supply commitments.
- Identify sourcing opportunities to improve product quality, availability, and profitability.
- Ensure vendor performance against agreed commercial and operational metrics.

5. Inventory & Supply Chain Coordination

- Work closely with supply chain, demand planning, and operations teams to maintain optimal inventory levels.
- Improve product availability and reduce stockouts, excess inventory, and wastage.
- Monitor demand trends, replenishment cycles, and supplier lead times.
- Ensure efficient inventory management across warehouses and fulfillment centers.

6. Data Analysis & Performance Management

- Track key metrics including GMV, revenue, gross margin, contribution margin, average selling price, fill rate, stock availability, and inventory turns.
- Analyze sales trends, customer behavior, and SKU-level performance to identify business opportunities.
- Prepare regular category reviews and business performance reports.
- Use data-driven insights to improve assortment, pricing, sourcing, and overall category profitability.

What we're looking for:

- 4–8 years of experience in category management, buying, merchandising, or commercial roles.
- Experience in Staples, grocery, FMCG, e-commerce, quick commerce, or organized retail is preferred.
- Strong understanding of grocery categories, vendor ecosystems, sourcing, pricing, and margins.
- Proven experience in commercial negotiations and managing category-level business metrics.
- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and data analysis tools.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced workplace and manage multiple priorities.
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.

📌 Category Management Specialist (Bengaluru)
🏢 FirstClub
📍 Bengaluru