Category Manager

Ushodaya Enterprises; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Ushodaya Enterprises in Hyderabad is seeking a results-driven Category Manager to lead growth across FMCG product lines. You will own category performance, analyze sales by SKU, channel and geography, and develop packaging, pricing and market strategies to improve profitability.

The role requires strong branding acumen, market research experience, and the ability to coordinate with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain and Finance to execute category plans end-to-end.

Qualifications

• Experience in product branding and positioning, FMCG preferred.
• Strong understanding of consumer behaviour, category trends and profitability.
• Experience in market research and product launches.
• Strong analytical, Excel, and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Ability to translate insights into product and branding strategies.
• Ownership mindset to drive category performance and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Own category-level sales, growth, availability and profitability objectives.
• Analyse SKU, channel & geography-wise performance to identify gaps.
• Develop category growth strategies across pack sizes, pricing, channels and markets.
• Identify opportunities for new products, variants and packaging.
• Lead taste tests, product trials and pilot batches.
• Coordinate with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain and other teams to execute plans.

Skills

Category management

Branding & positioning

Analytical

Excel

Cross-functional coordination

Market research

Product development

Tools

MS Excel

Job description

Role & responsibilities

1. Category Strategy & Performance

• Own category-level sales, growth, availability and profitability objectives.
• Analyse SKU, channel & geography-wise performance to identify opportunities and gaps.
• Develop category growth strategies across pack sizes, pricing, channels and markets.

2. New Product Development & Innovation

• Identify opportunities for new products, variants, formats, formulations and pack sizes based on market and consumer insights.
• Lead taste tests, product trials, pilot batches, formulation and packaging development.

3. Branding & Portfolio Management

• Own and strengthen the branding, positioning and consumer proposition of the existing product portfolio as well as new products.
• Periodically analyse brand/product performance, consumer perception and competitive positioning and recommend improvements.

4. Market, Consumer & Competitor Insights

• Continuously analyse consumer preferences, emerging trends and category needs.
• Conduct market visits and gather insights from consumers, competitor behaviour, retailers, distributors, sales teams and digital channels.

5. Sales, Distribution & Product Availability

• Monitor category sales and distribution across General Trade, Modern Trade, ECommerce, Quick-Commerce and D2C, wherever applicable.
• Work with Sales teams to improve distribution, outlet coverage and throughput.
• Ensure adequate stock across depots, distributors, retailers and digital channels

6. Cross-Functional, Quality & Regulatory Coordination

• Coordinate with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, R&D, Procurement, Production, Finance and E-Commerce teams to ensure effective execution of category plans.
• Work with marketing agencies, influencers/creators and external partners to execute branding and consumer engagement initiatives.

Preferred candidate profile

• Demonstrated experience in product branding and positioning, including management of existing portfolios and/or new product launches preferably in FMCG, Food Products.
• Strong understanding of consumer behaviour, category trends, distribution, competition, pricing and profitability.
• Experience in market research, product launches and branding will be preferred.
• Strong analytical, Excel, project management and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Ability to convert market & consumer insights into product, branding & strategies.
• Ownership mindset with the ability to independently drive category performance & product development through launch, growth and lifecycle management.