Category Manager

Kisah; Kolkata District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Kisah is seeking a Category Manager to drive end-to-end growth for our category, owning P&L and collaborating with BI, design, supply planning, marketing, and operations. You will forecast demand, shape pricing, and plan new launches to deliver profitable growth while understanding regional customer preferences.

The role requires strong analytics, ability to work with large data sets, and experience in ecommerce/retail or D2C environments.

Qualifications

• Extremely analytical and data-driven approach to decisions.
• Strong ability to connect numbers with customer behavior.
• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets skills for modeling and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own category GMV, revenue, margins, sell-through, and inventory turns.
• Lead demand forecasting at SKU/style level and coordinate with BI for forecasts.
• Define pricing architecture by channel, region, and season; plan discounts.
• Plan season-wise launches with design and supply; manage depth, mix, and reorders.
• Analyze returns and customer feedback to identify product gaps and action those insights.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with BI, Design, Supply Chain, Growth, and Merchandising.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Data-driven

Excel / Sheets

Forecasting

Pricing

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Looker

Job description

Name of the Company: KISAH Apparels Pvt Ltd

Job Description: Category Manager

Function: Business / Merchandising

Reporting To: Co-founder / CBO

Role Level: Manager / Senior Manager (based on experience)

About Us:

Kisah is a fast-growing men’s fashion brand redefining occasion-wear for Next-Gen and Gen Z consumers. Born digital, Kisah is now scaling as an omnichannel brand with presence across ecommerce, D2C, offline retail, both in India and globally. Our edge lies in bold, unique, and fashion-forward designs that reflect the evolving tastes of young consumers—while staying simple, comfortable, and affordable.

Role Purpose

The Category Manager owns end-to-end growth of assigned category/categories at Kisah.

This role is responsible for demand forecasting, pricing, new launches, and seasonal planning, backed by a deep understanding of customers, regions, and buying behaviour.

The Category Manager is the business owner of the category P&L, working closely with BI, supply planning, design, marketing, and operations to drive sustainable, profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Growth & P&L Ownership
   • Own GMV, net revenue, margins, sell-through, and inventory turns for the category
   • Drive profitable growth across D2C, marketplaces, retail, and quick commerce
   • Identify growth levers by channel, region, price band, and product type
2. Demand Forecasting & Supply Alignment
   • Own SKU-level and style-level demand forecasts
   • Work with BI to translate historical sales, seasonality, and trends into forecasts
   • Partner with supply planning to:
     • Avoid stock-outs on winners
     • Control excess inventory on slow movers
   • Continuously improve forecast accuracy through learning loops
3. Pricing, Discounting & Margin Strategy
   • Define pricing architecture by:
     • Channel
     • Region
     • Occasion & season
   • Plan discounting strategy across full price, events, clearance, and end-of-season
   • Balance growth vs margin while maintaining brand positioning
4. New Launch & Range Planning
   • Plan season-wise launch calendars in collaboration with design and supply
   • Number of styles
   • Depth per style
   • Size and color mix
   • Track new launch performance and activate early reorders or corrections
5. Customer & Market Understanding (Core Differentiator)
   • Develop a deep understanding of the category customer:
     • Who they are
     • Why they buy from Kisah
     • Price sensitivity
     • Regional preferences
     • Occasion-led demand
   • Analyze returns, cancellations, and customer feedback to identify product gaps
   • Translate customer insights into actionable product and pricing decisions
6. Seasonal & Campaign Planning
   • Key festivals
   • Micro-events (Eid, Rakhi, Onam, wedding season, etc.)
   • Work with growth, marketing, and merchandising teams to ensure:
     • Right assortment
     • Right inventory availability
7. Cross-Functional Collaboration
   • Work closely with:
     • BI – for data enablement and forecasting
     • Design – for product inputs and range correction
     • Supply Chain – for production planning and replenishment
     • Growth & Merchandising – for visibility and conversion
   • Act as the single point of accountability for category performance

Key Metrics (What Success Looks Like)

• Sell-through %
• Inventory turns & aging
• New launch success rate

Must-Have

• Extremely analytical & data-driven
• Strong business and logical thinking
• Comfortable working with large datasets and dashboards
• Excellent Excel / Google Sheets skills
• Ability to connect numbers with customer behaviour

Good-to-Have

• Understanding of demand planning & inventory economics
• Exposure to BI tools (Power BI / Tableau / Looker)

Experience & Background

• 3–6 years experience in category management, merchandising, or business roles
• Experience in ecommerce, D2C, marketplaces, or retail strongly preferred
• Prior experience owning category-level decisions is a big plus

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a design-only or buying-only role
• This is a business ownership role powered by data

Why Join Kisah

• Opportunity to build categories at scale, not just manage them
• High ownership, high impact role with direct influence on revenue
• Fast-growing brand with ambition to scale 5–6x over the next few years