Category Manager

Role & responsibilities:

• Category P&L Management: Own sales growth, gross margin targets, and overall profitability across Fruits & Vegetables (F&V), FMCG Staples, and BCF lines.
• Sourcing & Mandi Management (F&V): Manage farm-gate and local mandi sourcing, daily market pricing, quality checks, and seasonal crop planning to ensure high freshness and low cost.
• Vendor Management & Negotiation: Onboard suppliers, negotiate Terms of Trade (TOT), schemes, margins, and annual volume rebates for FMCG Staples and BCF brands.
• Inventory & Wastage Control: Monitor stock turns, manage inventory aging, maintain optimum stock availability, and implement strict protocols to minimize shrinkage/wastage in perishables.
• Pricing & Assortment Planning: Set competitive pricing for Key Value Items (KVIs), design SKU assortments based on local demand, and track market trends to maximize store sales.
• Promotions & Merchandising: Plan seasonal events, festival offers, end-cap displays, and bundled deals to drive higher basket size and Average Order Value (AOV).
• Supply Chain & Operations Alignment: Coordinate closely with warehouse, logistics, and store teams to maintain high fill rates, prevent stock-outs, and ensure smooth delivery schedules.

Preferred candidate profile:

• Experience: 4 to 7 years of hands-on experience in Category Management, Retail Buying, Purchase, or Merchandising within Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Grocery Chains, or Quick-Commerce.
• Domain Exposure: Prior experience handling Fruits & Vegetables (F&V), FMCG Staples (Grains/Pulses/Oils), or BCF is required.
• Local Market Sourcing: Familiarity with local mandi dynamics, farm-gate pricing, and regional FMCG distributor networks around Chennai/Tamil Nadu is highly preferred.
• Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in MS Excel (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, margin/wastage reports) and retail ERP/POS software.
• Language & Communication: Fluency in Tamil (essential for local vendor and mandi interaction) and functional English for reporting.
• Education: Any Graduate / Bachelor's Degree in any discipline.