Senior Category Manger - Fruits & Vegetables

VIVA; Dubai; On-site; AED 240,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

VIVA in Dubai is seeking a Senior Buyer to own category strategy for Fruits & Vegetables, directing assortment, buying and pricing across multiple subcategories to drive 10–20% of the business. You will lead a team of Senior Buyers, collaborate with supply chain and demand planning to ensure freshness, availability, and cost efficiency.

This role focuses on margin, markdowns, and the execution of promotions and leaflets to maximize traffic and category profitability, while proactively sourcing

Responsibilities

• Category Ownership & Scope: Responsible for planning, assortment, buying and pricing of 2–5 categories within Fruits & Vegetables, with a total sales participation of 10–20% of the business.
• Team Leadership: Lead and develop a team of Senior Buyers - setting direction, building capability and driving accountability across the category team.
• Category P&L Ownership: Own the full Fruits & Vegetables category P&L — sales, margin and known loss — delivering against budget and taking corrective action where performance deviates.
• Category Growth: Drive category growth through assortment development, new product introductions, space optimization and private label / local-sourcing expansion.
• Competition Gap Analysis: Continuously benchmark the category against competition — assortment, pricing and promotion — identifying gaps and converting them into concrete category actions.
• Supplier Negotiations: Lead day-to-day commercial negotiations and annual agreements with suppliers and growers, securing best-in-market costs, terms and supplier income.
• New Supplier & Farm Sourcing: Proactively search for and onboard new suppliers, growers and farms — local and international — to strengthen freshness, assortment and cost, and de-risk supply.
• Freshness & Availability Management: Manage on-shelf availability and freshness in close cooperation with supply chain and the DC, protecting quality and sales through fast, daily replenishment.
• Pricing Execution: Execute category pricing in line with the pricing strategy, aligned with the Commercial Lead, ensuring price-position competitiveness is maintained at all times.
• Promotions & Leaflet Decisions: Own promotion and leaflet decisions for the category — line selection, pricing, volumes and supplier funding — maximising traffic and margin impact.
• Forecast & Planning Alignment: Align sales and promotional forecasts with supply chain and the Demand planning team to secure availability while controlling stock and waste.
• Shrinkage, Waste & Aging Management: Manage category stock health end-to-end — with particular attention to the short shelf life, freshness and cold-chain needs of fresh produce — minimising shrinkage, waste and known loss and initiating timely markdowns.
• Quality & Food Safety: Ensure produce quality and food-safety standards at receipt and on shelf, working with Quality and supply chain on grading, cold chain and supplier quality performance — owning commercial actions on quality issues including claims, returns and delistings.

Job description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Category Ownership & Scope: Responsible for planning, assortment, buying and pricing of 2–5 categories within Fruits & Vegetables, with a total sales participation of 10–20% of the business.
• Team Leadership: Lead and develop a team of Senior Buyers - setting direction, building capability and driving accountability across the category team.
• Category P&L Ownership: Own the full Fruits & Vegetables category P&L — sales, margin and known loss — delivering against budget and taking corrective action where performance deviates.
• Category Growth: Drive category growth through assortment development, new product introductions, space optimization and private label / local-sourcing expansion.
• Competition Gap Analysis: Continuously benchmark the category against competition — assortment, pricing and promotion — identifying gaps and converting them into concrete category actions.
• Supplier Negotiations: Lead day-to-day commercial negotiations and annual agreements with suppliers and growers, securing best-in-market costs, terms and supplier income.
• New Supplier & Farm Sourcing: Proactively search for and onboard new suppliers, growers and farms — local and international — to strengthen freshness, assortment and cost, and de-risk supply.
• Freshness & Availability Management: Manage on-shelf availability and freshness in close cooperation with supply chain and the DC, protecting quality and sales through fast, daily replenishment.
• Pricing Execution: Execute category pricing in line with the pricing strategy, aligned with the Commercial Lead, ensuring price-position competitiveness is maintained at all times.
• Promotions & Leaflet Decisions: Own promotion and leaflet decisions for the category — line selection, pricing, volumes and supplier funding — maximising traffic and margin impact.
• Forecast & Planning Alignment: Align sales and promotional forecasts with supply chain and the Demand planning team to secure availability while controlling stock and waste.
• Shrinkage, Waste & Aging Management: Manage category stock health end-to-end — with particular attention to the short shelf life, freshness and cold-chain needs of fresh produce — minimising shrinkage, waste and known loss and initiating timely markdowns.
• Quality & Food Safety: Ensure produce quality and food-safety standards at receipt and on shelf, working with Quality and supply chain on grading, cold chain and supplier quality performance — owning commercial actions on quality issues including claims, returns and delistings.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS)

• Category P&L Delivery: Sales, margin and known loss versus budget across the 2–5 categories; overall category profitability.
• Category Growth & Market Position: Like-for-like growth; sales participation maintained/grown; closure of assortment and price gaps versus competition.
• Freshness & Availability: On-shelf availability and freshness to target; fast daily replenishment.
• Shrinkage & Waste: Shrinkage, waste and markdown levels within target for fresh produce.
• Negotiation Outcomes: Annual agreement terms, cost-price improvements and supplier income versus targets.
• Promotion & Leaflet Performance: Sales uplift and margin impact of promoted lines; leaflet line performance versus plan.
• Team Performance: Development, output and delivery of the Sr buyers.