Category Lead

Lenskart; Delhi; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Lenskart is seeking a Category Head to own your category end-to-end, shaping product strategy, assortment, pricing and margins across online and offline channels. You will lead seasonal buying, partner with design and marketing, and drive growth through data-led decisions.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in category management or merchandising, strong P&L discipline, and a track record of scaling categories in a fast-growth retail environment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in category management, buying or merchandising.
• Strong commercial acumen with trend and market insights.
• Proven track record in P&L ownership and scaling categories.

Responsibilities

• Own the category P&L: revenue, margins, inventory turns and working capital.
• Build and execute the category growth roadmap across channels.
• Lead seasonal buying, vendor partnerships, and range rationalization.
• Plan successful launches with store/online GTM alignment (marketing, VM, training).
• Monitor product lifecycle, ROS, and optimize distribution, stock, and pricing.
• Maintain healthy margins and guard quality to reduce returns and improve NPS.

Skills

Category management

P&L ownership

Data-driven

Retail merchandising

Job description

Job Title: Category Head, Lenskart
Location: Okhla, Delhi, India

About Lenskart

Twelve years ago, Lenskart started with a simple mission—to eliminate preventable blindness. What began as a small startup has now become Asia’s largest eyewear company, having served over 40 million customers globally. With 10,000+ Lenskartians, 2000+ omnichannel stores across 175+ cities in India, Singapore, Dubai, and beyond, we now ship a pair of eyewear every 2.5 seconds—powered by one of the world’s most automated eyewear factories.

Investors include

Softbank, ADIA, Temasek, Kedaara Capital, Premji Invest, KKR, Alpha Wave, Bay Capital.

Our Next Chapter

We’re on an ambitious mission to serve 1 billion eyes in 2025. And we’re going beyond vision correction—to transform how people see and experience the world. This requires cutting-edge technology, unmatched customer experience, and exceptional people.

Our strategic priorities over the next three years include tech innovation, global expansion, manufacturing scale-up, and building a deep bench of entrepreneurial talent. We’re growing existing categories, entering new ones, and scaling across geographies and channels.

The Role: Category Head

As Category Head, you will be the business owner of your category—responsible for driving exponential growth through product strategy, assortment, pricing, and margin management. You will own the entire P&L, playing a critical role in shaping customer experience, influencing repeat behaviour, and transforming eyewear from a utility to a fashion-first, high-frequency purchase.

Key Responsibilities

1. P&L and Business Ownership

• Full ownership of category P&L: revenue, margins, inventory turns and working capital.

• Drive top-line growth and bottom-line profitability across all channels (online, offline, home).

2. Strategic Category Management

• Build and execute the category growth roadmap.

• Lead assortment planning: width, depth, OTB, category gaps, and range rationalization.

• Define the right mix of core vs. fashion, trend-led vs. evergreen.

3. Buying & Merchandising

• Lead seasonal buying across geographies and channels.

• Partner with vendors and in-house design teams to drive trend-forward innovation.

• Reorder high-performing styles and ensure sufficient stock (DOH) on bestsellers.

4. Launches & Channel Execution

• Plan successful collection launches with targeted store assortments.

• Collaborate with Marketing, VM, and Training teams to drive GTM success.

• Avoid over-spread by tailoring assortments by store type, geography, and consumer profile.

5. Daily Trade & Lifecycle Management

• Monitor ROS and manage the product lifecycle: launches, in-season moves, and exits.

• Optimize store and warehouse distribution; identify slow movers and take timely actions.

• Recommend data-led product pricing and discounting strategies.

• Conduct product trainings for store teams to boost conversions and engagement.

6. Margins, Inventory & Quality Control

• Own and manage product costing to deliver healthy margins.

• Maintain inventory discipline with strong turns and minimal ageing.

• Uphold the Lenskart quality promise—reduce returns and NPS detractors by ensuring consistent product quality.

Ideal Candidate

• 7+ years of relevant experience in category management, buying, or merchandising. Fashion industry experience preferred.

• Strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of consumer trends and market insights.

• Proven track record in P&L ownership and scaling categories.

• High ownership mindset; collaborative and impact oriented.

• Data-driven, detail-oriented, and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Join us to shape the future of eyewear—and how the world sees.