Category Manager - Buy Side - FMCG (4-8 yrs)
Role & Responsibilities
Vendor Management & Negotiation : Manage vendor relationships, negotiate local rates to meet cost-per-unit targets, and ensure timely delivery of products.
Inventory Monitoring : Track stock levels, share daily reports on low inventory, and ensure minimum order quantities (MOQ) are met.
Purchase Order Coordination : Map/unmap products, raise POs with desired vendors, and monitor negative margins at product level.
Cross-functional Collaboration : Meet regularly with the Business Operations and Growth teams to align on stock availability, sales plans, and product launches.
Payment & Delivery Follow-up : Coordinate with Finance on vendor payments to avoid delays, and ensure smooth vehicle offloading at Distribution Centers (DC).
Vendor Sourcing : Identify and onboard alternate vendors to maintain product availability and address supply gaps.
Stock Management : Monitor put-away status of inventory, manage slow-moving stock, and support sales strategies for excess inventory.
Reporting & Analysis : Provide regular performance updates, including benchmarking new products, sales plans, and launch strategies.
Ideal Candidate
First Principles Problem solver
- Proven experience (3+ years) in category management, vendor management, or procurement, preferably in a retail, e-commerce environment, or fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry.
- Strong analytical skills with advanced proficiency in Excel
- Strong understanding of supply chain processes and inventory management best practices.
- Ability to manage relationships with both local vendors.
- Strong negotiation skills and a keen eye for cost optimization.
- Ability to work independently with limited support in a fast-paced, high growth environment
- Hunger to work, deliver, and grow in a rapidly growing organization
- Experimentative mindset: Ideate, try, measure, learn, document and help improve our ways of working
- Good collaboration skills - great at communication and negotiation
- Ability to influence a variety stakeholders without relying on positional authority
- Willingness to getting your hands dirty : Learn from customers, manufacturers and on ground teams about their business and challenges