Category Manager (Demand )

Herox; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Performance incentives

Leadership exposure

Fast career growth

Ownership culture

Job summary

Herox is seeking a Category Manager (Demand) to scale our B2B2C channel network across Tier 2–4 towns in India. You will lead demand strategy, activation, and growth with on-ground partner engagement, translating insights into product and pricing improvements.

You will travel to meet channel partners, work with cross-functional teams, and drive data-driven decisions using Excel and SQL. A strong mix of strategy and hands-on execution is required.

Qualifications

• 4–8 years in category management, growth, or channel management in B2B2C/B2B/B2C or platform-led businesses.
• Experience in EdTech or related sectors is a plus; MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own demand strategy for long-tail channel partners in Tier 2–4 markets.
• Drive end-to-end CLM for channel partners from onboarding to revenue growth.
• Direct field sales team with data-backed plans and targets.
• Travel regularly to meet partners across tiered markets in India.
• Collaborate with Product/Tech/Marketing to translate partner needs into solutions.
• Build dashboards and use basic SQL to validate data and insights.

Skills

B2B2C thinking

Channel thinking

Sales leadership

Analytical rigour

AI fluency

First-principles thinking

Field-first mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Excel

SQL

Job description

Role: Category Manager (Demand)

Experience: 4 to 8 years

Department: Category Management - Demand & Channel Growth

Location: Gurugram Sector 42

Working Model: Work from office

Employment Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

We are looking for a sharp, empathetic, and execution-oriented Category Manager (Demand side) to scale our B2B2C business through a growing network of channel partners with a sharp focus on long-tail and smaller partners spread across Tier 2, 3, and 4 towns in India. Our tech-enabled channel partner model enables us to reach students/learners through trusted local partners; this role sits at the heart of that engine, ensuring that the channel network is continuously onboarded, activated, and growing.

Tech and product features are central to how we scale this model and the ideal candidate must be comfortable leveraging platform capabilities to drive partner productivity and student outcomes. This is not a desk job. You will be on the ground understanding nuanced partner and student/learner needs, directing the sales team with data-backed strategies, and working cross-functionally to build a scalable demand machine. If you can think at 30,000 ft, execute at ground level, and use AI tools to stay ahead — this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

B2B2C Channel Strategy & Demand Growth

Own the demand strategy for long-tail and smaller channel partners in Tier 2/3/4 markets, with a clear understanding that the end objective is student/learner acquisition and retention through these partners. Design cohort-specific growth frameworks and ensure the B2B2C model is scaling efficiently — with tech-product features driving partner productivity and student/learner experience at every stage.

Partner Onboarding & CLM Engagement

Drive end-to-end CLM (Channel Lifecycle Management) for channel partners — from onboarding and first activation to sustained engagement and revenue growth. Define and implement go-to-market playbooks for new partner segments, including activation milestones, engagement cadences, and product adoption targets. Ensure no partner is left behind in the long tail.

Sales Team Direction & Structured Execution

Provide strategic direction to the associated field sales team — structure their approach, define coverage priorities, and build data-backed plans that help them engage partners more effectively. Review sales team performance regularly, identify gaps, and course-correct with clear, actionable guidance rooted in on-ground and data insights.

On-Ground Partner Engagement

Travel regularly to meet channel partners across Tier 2/3/4 towns. Build deep, trust-based relationships, understand local market dynamics and student/learner behaviour, and convert field learnings into product, pricing, and process improvements that scale.

Student/Learner & Partner Needs Translation

Bring genuine curiosity and empathy to understanding what end students/learners in smaller markets want and what partners need to serve them better. Bridge this gap by working with Product, Tech, and Post-Sales teams to develop relevant, scalable solutions that improve both partner experience and student/learner outcomes.

Analytics & Performance Management

Own demand metrics across your partner cohort — activation rates, conversion funnels, GMV, repeat engagement, and P&L contribution. Build Excel-based trackers and dashboards; use basic SQL to pull and validate data independently. Present insights regularly to leadership and use data to structure every strategic decision.

AI-Augmented Productivity

Actively leverage AI tools and agentic AI features in your daily workflow — for partner research, reporting, communication, content, and analysis. We expect practitioners here, not observers.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Sales, Product, Post-Sales, Tech, and Marketing to align on partner needs and co-own solutions. Serve as the internal voice of the Tier 2/3/4 channel partner, influencing product roadmaps, tech feature prioritisation, and go-to-market decisions.

Qualifications & Skills

Experience & Education

4-8 years in category management, growth, channel management — ideally in a B2B2C / B2B / B2C or platform-led business. Candidates from e-commerce, travel-tech, consumer-tech, D2C, or FMCG backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Knowledge of EdTech is preferred but not mandatory. Bachelor's in any discipline required; MBA preferred.

Core Competencies

• B2B2C & Channel Thinking: Understands the dynamics of selling through partners to end student/learners; can design and execute at both layers simultaneously.
• Student/learner Empathy: Deep curiosity about Tier 2/3/4 student/learner/partner needs — listens, observes, and turns insights into solutions.
• Sales Leadership: Ability to direct, structure, and motivate a field sales team using data and clear strategic frameworks.
• Analytical Rigour: Advanced Excel; basic SQL to independently access and validate data. Builds dashboards and makes decisions from numbers.
• AI & Tech Fluency: Actively uses AI and agentic AI tools for productivity. Expected to be a practitioner, not just aware.
• Strategic & Execution Duality: Zooms out to see the big picture; zooms in to own the details and drive delivery.
• Field-First Mindset: Enthusiasm for on-ground travel and deep partner engagement across Tier 2/3/4 India.
• First-Principles Thinking: Challenges assumptions, builds solutions from scratch, and brings clarity to complex and ambiguous problems.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation with performance-based incentives.
• A high-impact role at the frontier of India’s next education growth wave — Bharat.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership and a genuine seat at the strategy table.
• Fast career growth in a mission-driven, fast-scaling EdTech company.
• A team that values ownership, intellectual curiosity, and independent thinking.