Head of Category - Retail

Confidential; Dubai; On-site; AED 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential in Dubai, UAE seeks a senior Head of Category / Brand to define and lead the global strategy for assigned brands and product categories. You will own P&L, drive profitability, assortment, buying, merchandising, and inventory across markets with a view to global consistency and local adaptability.

You will lead a multi-disciplined team and partner with Marketing, Retail Operations, Supply Chain and Finance to deliver growth, optimize channels, and expand markets while maintaining

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
• 10+ years in category management, buying, or merchandising within multi-brand retail, including a minimum of 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record of owning and growing a multi-market category or brand P&L.
• Experience leading and developing managers and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Senior-level negotiation experience with major international brands and suppliers.
• Advanced knowledge of inventory optimization and SAP ERP; strong command of Power BI and data analytics for commercial decision-making.
• Exceptional strategic planning, commercial judgement, and stakeholder influence.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and communication skills, with the ability to present confidently to executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the long-term (3–5 year) global category / brand strategy, aligning with brand vision and securing senior leadership endorsement.
• Lead product innovation and differentiation, anticipating customer needs and industry trends to build a competitive advantage.
• Set a unified strategy across regions, defining the framework within which local markets adapt.
• Approve assortment architecture and Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets, balancing market demand, category / brand(s) positioning, and profitability.
• Direct the product mix and global buying strategy, leading negotiations and strategic partnerships with key suppliers and brand principals, including annual business planning and commercial terms.
• Set merchandising strategies that uphold category / brand(s) guidelines while responding to local preferences.
• Own inventory strategy and allocation across markets to maximize stock productivity, reduce costs, and minimize imbalances within working capital targets.
• Own the category / brand(s) P&L and key performance indicators (sales, gross margin, stock turn, sell-through), presenting performance reviews and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Use data and insight to make commercial decisions, prioritize investment, and take corrective action to achieve targets.
• Act as the senior commercial lead for the category / brand(s), partnering with Marketing, Retail Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure seamless execution across regions.
• Influence and align senior stakeholders on strategy, investment, and results, contributing to wider business decisions as part of the commercial leadership team.
• Lead, structure, and develop a global category team of Category Managers, Buyers, and Planners, setting clear objectives and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability.
• Build leadership capability and succession within the team, developing future commercial leaders.
• Identify emerging trends, market shifts, and growth opportunities, including new brands, markets, and formats, and lead the business cases to pursue them.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy

P&L ownership

Negotiation

Data analytics

SAP ERP

Power BI

Inventory management

Merchandising

Cross-functional collaboration

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain management, or related field

MBA (advantageous)

Tools

SAP ERP

Power BI

Job description

ROLE SUMMARY

The Head of Category / Brand will define and lead the strategic direction of the assigned brand(s) / product categories across all assigned markets, with full accountability for commercial performance and P&L. This role sets the vision for the category / brand(s), driving profitability, innovation, and customer satisfaction. The role owns product assortments, buying, merchandising, and inventory, ensuring global consistency while enabling local market adaptation.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Global Category Strategy & Leadership:

• Define and own the long-term (3–5 year) global category / brand(s) strategy, aligning with brand(s) vision and securing senior leadership endorsement.
• Lead product innovation and differentiation, anticipating customer needs and industry trends to build a competitive advantage.
• Set a unified strategy across regions, defining the framework within which local markets adapt.

Assortment Planning & Buying:

• Approve assortment architecture and Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets, balancing market demand, category / brand(s) positioning, and profitability.
• Direct the product mix and global buying strategy, leading negotiations and strategic partnerships with key suppliers and brand principals, including annual business planning and commercial terms.

Merchandising & Allocations:

• Set merchandising strategies that uphold category / brand(s) guidelines while responding to local preferences.
• Own inventory strategy and allocation across markets to maximize stock productivity, reduce costs, and minimize imbalances within working capital targets.

Category(s) / Brand(s) Performance & Reporting:

• Own the category / brand(s) P&L and key performance indicators (sales, gross margin, stock turn, sell-through), presenting performance reviews and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Use data and insight to make commercial decisions, prioritize investment, and take corrective action to achieve targets.

Collaboration & Cross-functional Leadership:

• Act as the senior commercial lead for the category / brand(s), partnering with Marketing, Retail Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure seamless execution across regions.
• Influence and align senior stakeholders on strategy, investment, and results, contributing to wider business decisions as part of the commercial leadership team.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, structure, and develop a global category team of Category Managers, Buyers, and Planners, setting clear objectives and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability.
• Build leadership capability and succession within the team, developing future commercial leaders.

Market(s) Expansion & Trends:

• Identify emerging trends, market shifts, and growth opportunities, including new brands, markets, and formats, and lead the business cases to pursue them.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field; a postgraduate degree (e.g. MBA) is advantageous.
• 10+ years in category management, buying, or merchandising within multi-brand retail, including a minimum of 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record of owning and growing a multi-market category or brand P&L.
• Experience leading and developing managers and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Senior-level negotiation experience with major international brands and suppliers.
• Advanced knowledge of inventory optimization and SAP ERP; strong command of Power BI and data analytics for commercial decision-making.
• Exceptional strategic planning, commercial judgement, and stakeholder influence.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and communication skills, with the ability to present confidently to executive leadership.