Manager - Category Operations

Role Overview The Category Operations Manager is responsible for driving end-to-end operational excellence, revenue optimization, and customer experience across assigned business categories. The role acts as a bridge between Category, Supply Chain, Seller Operations, Product, Technology, and Customer Experience teams to ensure seamless execution, inventory availability, fulfilment efficiency, and Net Merchandise Value (NMV) growth.

The position requires strong analytical capabilities, stakeholder management, process improvement expertise, and deep understanding of marketplace and omnichannel e-commerce operations.

Key Responsibilities Business Planning & Revenue Management

• Own category revenue planning, sales forecasting, and order volume projections.
• Drive Annual Operating Plan (AOP), business budgeting, and growth initiatives.
• Monitor category health through key business and operational metrics.
• Plan and execute high impact tentpole events, seasonal sales, and promotional campaigns.
• Identify opportunities to improve NMV, profitability, and customer experience.

Marketplace & Seller Operations

• Manage end-to-end seller lifecycle including onboarding, catalog readiness, inventory integration, and operational compliance.
• Drive seller performance against fulfillment, cancellation, inventory, and service-level metrics.
• Partner with sellers to improve stock availability and inventory accuracy.
• Conduct regular reviews and implement corrective actions for underperforming sellers.

Inventory & Fulfillment Excellence

• Monitor inventory health across stores, warehouses, and omnichannel fulfillment locations.
• Drive initiatives to reduce inventory ageing, stock-outs, unlisted inventory, and order cancellations.
• Ensure adherence to fulfillment SLAs and optimize order handover timelines.
• Collaborate with Logistics and Warehouse teams to improve delivery speed and service levels.

Customer Experience & Efficiency Improvement

• Lead initiatives to reduce customer returns, cancellations, Return-to-Origin (RTO), Seller Rejections (SLR), and Customer-Initiated Returns (CIR).
• Implement process improvements across catalog quality, product content, size guides, and return management.
• Drive customer-centric projects including expedited refunds, replacement programs, and streamlined return experiences.
• Identify operational leakage points and implement preventive controls.

Product & Technology Collaboration

• Work closely with Product and Engineering teams to define business requirements and operational enhancements.
• Prepare BRDs and functional requirements for platform improvements.
• Drive integrations related to inventory sync, pricing updates, seller systems, and order management.
• Support automation initiatives to improve productivity and operational visibility.

Analytics & Reporting

• Develop dashboards, scorecards, and operational reporting frameworks.
• Perform root-cause analysis and derive actionable insights from data.
• Track category KPIs and present performance reviews to leadership.
• Use analytics to drive strategic decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.

Process Governance & Compliance

• Develop and implement SOPs across category operations and seller management processes.
• Ensure policy adherence across sellers, warehouses, and operational teams.
• Drive governance mechanisms and review forums for performance management.
• Lead cross-functional problem-solving and escalation management.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Net Merchandise Value (NMV)
• Revenue Achievement
• Seller Cancellation Rate
• Customer Return Rate
• Return-to-Origin (RTO) %
• Order Fulfillment SLA
• Order Handover Compliance
• Stock Availability %
• Inventory Ageing
• Listing Readiness %
• Seller Compliance Score
• Logistics Cost as % of Revenue
• Customer Satisfaction Metrics

Qualifications Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Commerce, or related field.
• MBA preferred.

Experience

• 7-12 years of experience in E-commerce, Marketplace Operations, Category Operations, Retail Operations, or Supply Chain Management.
• Experience managing large-scale marketplace ecosystems and seller networks.
• Proven track record in operational excellence, process optimization, and business growth initiatives.

Preferred Skills

• Category Operations Management
• Marketplace Operations
• Inventory & Fulfillment Management
• Revenue Planning & Forecasting
• Business Analytics & Reporting
• Advanced Excel & SQL
• Power BI / Tableau
• Project Management
• Process Improvement & Automation
• Stakeholder Management
• BRD Preparation
• Seller Account Management
• SOP Design & Governance

Location: Vikhroli, Mumbai (Work from Office)