Assistant Manager/Manager - Category

Noise; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Noise is seeking a high-ownership, founder-minded leader to build and own a category end-to-end. This is a P&L role, not merely coordination, collaborating with category leadership on what to sell, where to grow profitability, and how the customer experience should feel across touchpoints.

You will own forecasts, drive expansion into quick commerce and marketplaces, and lead with market intelligence rather than gut feel to deliver sustainable revenue growth.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of relevant category experience.
• Proven ownership of outcomes and accountability.
• Experience leading cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own top-line and bottom-line numbers for assigned categories; build forecasts and plans for senior leadership.
• Drive expansion across quick commerce and marketplaces as growth levers.
• Develop end-to-end category strategies, not just campaigns.
• Sharpen product assortment and brand engagement using market insights and competitive analysis.
• Coordinate with warehousing and logistics to ensure promises are kept.
• Work with marketing, design, and support to identify and fix gaps quickly.

Skills

Category management

Strategic thinking

Team leadership

Ownership mindset

Negotiation skills

Job description

We are not looking for someone to manage a category. We are looking for someone to build and own it end-to-end - like a founder would. This is a P&L role, not a coordination role. You will work directly with category leadership on questions that actually matter:

• What we sell, where, and why
• How we grow profitably, not just top-line
• What experience customers get across every touchpoint

Why this role exists

We are not looking for someone to manage a category. We are looking for someone to build and own it end-to-end - like a founder would. This is a P&L role, not a coordination role. You will work directly with category leadership on questions that actually matter:

• What we sell, where, and why
• How we grow profitably, not just top-line
• What experience customers get across every touchpoint

If your instinct is to wait for direction, this won’t work. If your instinct is to take a category and run it like it’s yours, read on.

What Success Looks Like

Not activity. Not campaigns run. Revenue and profitability per category, sustainably scaled.

We grow through sharper planning, tighter execution, and smarter systems - not by adding more hands to the process.

What Will You Own

• Own top-line and bottom-line numbers for assigned categories. Build forecasts and plans senior management can actually act on.
• Drive expansion across quick commerce and marketplaces. Treat every new channel as a growth lever, not a checkbox.
• Build strategies that move category development end-to-end - not just campaigns that look good in a deck.
• Sharpen product assortment and brand engagement using real market intelligence, consumer insight, and competitive analysis - not gut feel alone.
• Drive order fulfillment end-to-end. Coordinate tightly with warehouse and logistics so category promises are actually kept.
• Project inventory off real sales forecasts. Partner with sourcing to keep procurement lean and accurate.
• Own online merchandising, category page design, and layout. Recommend changes that make the digital shelf work harder.
• Work with marketing, design, and customer support to identify what’s working, what isn’t, and fix it fast.

Who You Are

• A builder who takes ownership of outcomes, not just tasks
• Strong business judgment, with a track record of successful negotiations and relationship management
• Someone who can lead a team, even a small one, with real accountability
• Strategic and tactical in the same day - comfortable with the big picture and the detail
• Independent - you develop ideas without waiting to be told
• 3-5 years of relevant category experience
• Sharp on organization: prioritizing, scheduling, and meeting deadlines without being chased

What Won’t Work

• Waiting for instructions instead of owning the outcome
• Treating category management as coordination, not strategy
• Comfort with “good enough” numbers
• Siloed thinking that ignores how categories connect to the wider business

Why this role matters

Categories are where Noise’s growth actually happens. This role gives you real ownership of a P&L, direct visibility to category leadership, and the mandate to build - not just maintain.