This role is for one of the Weekday's clients
Min Experience: 8 yearsLocation: GurgaonJobType: full-timeWe are seeking an accomplished and strategic
Director - Category
to lead end-to-end category management, drive business growth, and optimize product performance across key segments. The ideal candidate will bring 8-15 years of experience in category strategy, P&L ownership, supplier management, and customer insights. This is a high-impact leadership role requiring strong analytical capabilities, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to translate market trends into actionable business plans.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Leadership
- Own the overall category vision, roadmap, and long-term strategy to maximize revenue, profitability, and market share.
- Identify emerging trends, customer needs, and competitive shifts to continuously expand and strengthen the category portfolio.
- Develop and implement annual operating plans, including sales targets, pricing strategy, assortment optimization, and promotional frameworks.
Assortment Planning & Product Portfolio Optimization
- Build and refine a data-driven assortment strategy to ensure an optimal product mix aligned with customer preferences and business priorities.
- Conduct regular market, competitor, and demand analyses to expand winning product lines, retire underperforming items, and drive portfolio efficiency.
- Work closely with merchandising, demand planning, and supply chain teams to ensure product availability, forecast accuracy, and operational effectiveness.
Vendor & Supplier Management
- Lead negotiations with suppliers to secure competitive pricing, terms, rebates, and exclusivity opportunities.
- Develop strong vendor partnerships, ensuring alignment on quality, compliance, innovation pipelines, and business goals.
- Monitor supplier performance through structured SLAs, quarterly reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
P&L Ownership & Performance Management
- Manage full category P&L, including revenue, margins, cost structures, promotional budgets, and inventory levels.
- Track category performance through key metrics such as sell-through rates, contribution margins, inventory turns, and customer satisfaction.
- Build business cases, financial models, and performance dashboards to inform decision-making and strategic prioritization.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with marketing teams to develop integrated campaigns, digital activation plans, and brand-building initiatives that elevate category visibility.
- Collaborate with product, operations, and technology teams to enhance customer experience, streamline workflows, and support new category opportunities.
- Influence senior leadership through strategic insights, business recommendations, and transparent communication around category health.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of category managers, analysts, and specialists.
- Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, ownership, and data-driven decision-making.
- Encourage cross-team learning, skill advancement, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications & Experience
- 8-15 years of progressive experience in category management, merchandising, buying, or product strategy, preferably in consumer goods, retail, e-commerce, or related sectors.
- Proven track record of P&L management, vendor negotiations, assortment optimization, and scaling category performance.
- Strong analytical mindset with the ability to turn data into insights and insights into business actions.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced, and growth-driven environment
