Category Lead - F&V (Quick Commerce)

Keka Technologies Private Limited; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,600,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

SuperK is reimagining grocery retail in India with a Quick Commerce focus and a fast-growing network of stores powered by technology. We are hiring a Category Lead– Fruits & Vegetables to own the end-to-end performance of the F&V category, including assortment, sourcing, pricing, availability, wastage control, vendor management, promotions, and P&L success.

You will work closely with sourcing, supply chain, dark store operations, merchandising, tech, and marketing to build a high-performing,

Qualifications

• 4–8 years of experience in Category Management / Buying / Sourcing within Fruits & Vegetables / Fresh / Grocery / Quick Commerce.
• Strong understanding of fresh supply chains, mandi dynamics, and perishables management.
• End-to-end category ownership including P&L.
• Vendor management and negotiation experience.
• Forecasting, inventory planning, and wastage control expertise.
• Analytical mindset with operational rigor.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete P&L for the Fruits & Vegetables category in Quick Commerce.
• Define and execute category growth strategy across fresh produce.
• Build category plans to drive revenue, margins, and repeat customers.
• Drive category expansion based on demand, local preferences, seasonality.
• Build and optimize assortment across fruits, vegetables, herbs, staples.
• Ensure hyperlocal assortment relevance across city/store clusters.
• Improve SKU productivity and category mix.
• Drive merchandising and visibility to maximize conversion.
• Onboard and manage farmers, aggregators, mandis, and supply partners.
• Negotiate commercials, procurement models, SLAs.
• Build supplier relationships to improve cost, quality, reliability.
• Own pricing strategy balancing competitiveness, value, margin.
• Track promotions, bundles, and campaign planning.
• Identify monetization opportunities through supplier-funded programs.

Skills

Category management

Buying

Sourcing

Vendor management

P&L ownership

Forecasting

Inventory planning

Wastage control

Analytics & data-driven

Job description

SuperK is reimagining grocery retail for small-town India.

We operate a rapidly growing network of modern convenience stores powered by technology — combining strong on-ground operations with digital commerce across retail, e-commerce, and quick commerce.

Our Quick Commerce (QCOM) business is focused on delivering reliable, fast, and affordable grocery experiences to customers in Tier 3/4/5 towns.

About the role

We are looking for a Category Lead– Fruits & Vegetables (Quick Commerce) to own the end-to-end performance of the F&V category for our quick commerce business.

This role requires a strong operator-builder mindset. You will act as the Business Owner for F&V, responsible for assortment, sourcing, pricing, availability, wastage control, vendor management, promotions, and overall P&L performance. You will work closely with sourcing, supply chain, dark store operations, merchandising, tech, and marketing teams to build a high-performing, scalable F&V business delivering freshness, availability, and customer trust.

What you will be doing

Category Ownership & Growth

• Own the complete P&L for the Fruits & Vegetables category in Quick Commerce
• Define and execute category growth strategy across fresh produce
• Build category plans to drive revenue, margins, and repeat customer behavior
• Drive category expansion based on customer demand, local preferences, and seasonality
• Build and optimize assortment across fruits, vegetables, herbs, and staples
• Ensure hyperlocal assortment relevance based on city/store clusters
• Continuously improve SKU productivity and category mix
• Drive merchandising and visibility across app/storefront to maximize conversion
• Identify, onboard, and manage farmers, aggregators, mandis, and supply partners
• Negotiate commercials, procurement models, and service-level agreements
• Build strong supplier relationships to improve cost, quality, and reliability
• Develop alternate sourcing models for supply continuity
• Own pricing strategy balancing competitiveness, customer value, and margin
• Manage dynamic pricing based on mandi trends, seasonality, and demand
• Drive promotions, bundles, and campaign planning
• Identify additional monetization opportunities through supplier-funded programs

Inventory, Availability & Waste Management

• Ensure high fill rates and best-in-class on-shelf availability across dark stores
• Work closely with planning and operations to optimize inventory turns
• Minimize wastage, shrinkage, and dead stock through better forecasting and replenishment
• Improve freshness metrics and reduce stock-outs

Operations & Quick Commerce Excellence

• Partner with dark store and supply teams to ensure seamless daily execution
• Build SOPs for receiving, grading, storage, and handling of fresh produce
• Support new city/store launches and scale-up readiness

Data & Performance Tracking

• Track key KPIs: revenue, margin, fill rate, stock-outs, inventory turns, wastage %, freshness score, and vendor performance
• Use data to identify growth opportunities and corrective actions
• Build repeatable category playbooks for scale

What we would like to see in you

• 4–8 years of experience in Category Management / Buying / Sourcing within Fruits & Vegetables / Fresh / Grocery / Quick Commerce
• Strong understanding of fresh supply chains, mandi dynamics, and perishables management
• Experience in end-to-end category ownership including P&L
• Strong vendor management and negotiation experience
• Deep understanding of forecasting, inventory planning, and wastage control
• Analytical mindset with strong operational rigor
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Prior experience in Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart, BigBasket, or similar is a strong plus