Category Manager

Role overview

This is a full-time, on-site position in Bengaluru for a client of Weekday. The role is not limited to procurement; you will own the staples category like a business, shaping assortment, vendor relationships, pricing, monetization, availability, and overall P&L performance.

You will partner with sourcing, supply chain, marketing, and store operations to grow the category, improve margins, and strengthen customer value.

Core responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the staples category P&L, including revenue, margin, and profitability.
• Improve gross margins relative to branded benchmarks.
• Decide the right balance between private label and branded SKUs.
• Build and expand the sourcing ecosystem by identifying and onboarding manufacturers, millers, and contract partners.
• Negotiate pricing, total cost terms, and long-term supply arrangements.
• Create a dependable and cost-effective sourcing network while maintaining consistent quality.
• Define product requirements such as quality standards, grading, and packaging.
• Work with vendors to develop differentiated SKUs designed for Bharat consumers.
• Maintain strict quality control and batch-to-batch consistency.
• Develop pricing strategies that clearly outperform branded alternatives on value.
• Monitor commodity price movements and update pricing dynamically.
• Balance stronger margins with competitive pricing.
• Build a focused, fast-moving assortment for staples.
• Increase in-store visibility for the staples range.
• Create merchandising and bundling approaches that improve adoption.
• Forecast demand and help ensure strong fill rates across stores.
• Coordinate with supply chain teams to keep inventory at optimal levels.
• Scale successful SKUs across different regions and formats.
• Drive category adoption and brand penetration.
• Partner with marketing and operations on in-store and app-based initiatives.
• Track repeat purchases, customer feedback, and product performance.
• Monitor category KPIs such as gross margin percentage, staples share of category, sell-through, inventory turns, and repeat purchase rates.
• Identify weak SKUs and decide whether they should be improved or discontinued.

Experience and background

The expected experience is 3+ years overall, with a preferred range of 3 to 6 years in staples procurement, commodity trading, or category management.

Relevant exposure in oil, grains, spices, pulses, or similar staple categories is important, along with experience working with manufacturers or contract production partners.

Requirements

• Strong commercial thinking and a clear P&L orientation.
• Good understanding of commodity cycles and cost structures.
• Ability to manage the trade-off between cost, quality, and consumer value.
• Structured problem-solving mindset with strong execution.
• High ownership and a bias toward action.

Skills

Category management, staples category knowledge, procurement, vendor negotiation, P&L ownership, pricing strategy, inventory planning, assortment planning, merchandising, demand forecasting, commodity analysis, quality management.

Additional information

This opportunity is for one of Weekday's clients. The location is Bangalore/Bengaluru. The role is full-time and on-site. No stipend or salary amount was specified in the source.