Pharma Category manager

JobItUs; Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

JobItUs in Mumbai seeks a Pharma Category Manager to own end-to-end pharma category performance across B2B healthcare commerce. You will drive assortment expansion, supplier partnerships, pricing and promotions, demand planning, compliance, and profitable growth.

The role requires strong commercial acumen, vendor negotiation skills, deep pharma distribution knowledge, and the ability to execute category strategy using data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• MBA/PGDM or equivalent degree in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, or Business.
• 8–12 years of pharma category management experience.
• Hands-on supplier negotiations, pricing, and trade schemes.
• Strong understanding of pharma distribution and supply chain fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Category growth strategy aligned to revenue, margin, and market penetration.
• Assortment planning including SKU lifecycle and listing.
• Supplier onboarding, negotiations, and scorecard management.
• Pricing strategy, promotions, and margin optimization.
• Demand planning and inventory management to reduce stockouts.
• Compliance with pharma distribution, labeling, and recalls.
• Cross-functional execution with Sales, Marketing, Ops, and Finance.
• Data-driven performance with dashboards on GMV, margins, and turns.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Analytical skills

Execution excellence

Communication

Vendor management

Compliance awareness

Education

MBA / PGDM (preferred) or equivalent degree in Pharmacy / Life Sciences / Business

Job description

Job Description (JD): Pharma Category Manager —
Role Title: Pharma Category Manager (B2B Healthcare Procurement / E-commerce)
Function / Department: Category Management / Commercial / Growth
Location: Mumbai
Reporting To: Head of Category / Commercial Lead
Role Summary
The Pharma Category Manager will own the end-to-end performance of the Pharma category—driving assortment expansion, supplier partnerships, pricing & promotions, demand planning, compliance, and profitable growth across company’s B2B healthcare commerce ecosystem. The role requires strong commercial acumen, vendor negotiation skills, deep understanding of pharma distribution dynamics, and the ability to execute category strategy using data.

Key Responsibilities

1. 1) Category Strategy & Business Growth
   • Build and execute the category growth plan aligned to business goals (revenue, margin, market penetration).
   • Identify and scale high-potential sub-categories (e.g., Acute, Chronic, Specialty, OTC, Institutional lines—basis business model).
   • Create annual/quarterly category playbooks: positioning, assortment, pricing architecture, promotions, and availability.
2. 2) Assortment & Portfolio Management
   • Lead range planning: SKU selection, listing, rationalization, and lifecycle management (New launch Scale Phase-out).
   • Ensure right depth and breadth by customer segment (hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, corporate buyers, etc.).
   • Drive brand/therapy-wise mix to improve conversion, repeat purchases, and contribution margin.
3. 3) Supplier & Partner Management
   • Onboard, manage, and grow relationships with manufacturers, super-stockists, distributors, and authorized suppliers.
   • Negotiate commercial terms (cost, margins, rebates, credit, returns, service levels, exclusives, MOQs).
   • Build a supplier scorecard: fill rate, on-time delivery, defect/return rates, pricing competitiveness, credit adherence.
4. 4) Pricing, Promotions & Profitability
   • Own pricing strategy across SKUs while ensuring competitiveness and healthy margins.
   • Plan and execute trade schemes/promotions (bundles, tiered discounts, institutional contracts).
   • Drive profit levers: improved buying, optimized mix, reduced returns/claims, better inventory turns.
5. 5) Demand Planning, Inventory & Availability
   • Partner with supply chain to maintain optimal inventory (stock availability + reduced working capital lock-in).
   • Forecast demand using seasonality and trend signals; prevent stock-outs and overstock/expiry.
   • Implement controls for batch/expiry management and returns policy alignment.
6. 6) Compliance, Quality & Governance (Pharma)
   • Ensure the category’s operations follow applicable pharma distribution and documentation requirements (e.g., licensing, invoicing, batch traceability, storage requirements where applicable).
   • Work with Quality/Legal teams to ensure authorized sourcing, labeling compliance, and recall/return processes.
   • Maintain process checks for sensitive product handling (e.g., temperature-controlled items where applicable).
7. 7) Cross-Functional Execution
   • Work closely with Sales (Key Accounts/Institutional), Marketing, Product, Ops, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Support.
   • Enable sales with catalog/pricing decks, competitive insights, and promo calendars.
   • Coordinate with Product/Tech to improve category discovery, searchability, content quality, and conversion.
8. 8) Data-Driven Performance Management
   • Track weekly/monthly category dashboards: GMV/Revenue, Gross Margin, Net Margin, Fill Rate, Returns, ASP, Conversion, Inventory Turns, Expiry Loss.
   • Run continuous improvement experiments on assortment, pricing, promotions, and availability.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Revenue/GMV growth for Pharma category
• Gross Margin / Contribution margin improvement
• Fill rate / In-stock rate and OTIF (On-Time In-Full)
• Inventory turns, working capital efficiency & ageing control
• Expiry/near-expiry losses reduction
• Returns rate / claims reduction & faster closure
• Supplier performance score (pricing, service levels, compliance)
• Customer metrics: conversion, repeat rate, NPS (where applicable)

Required Qualifications & Experience

• MBA / PGDM (preferred) or equivalent degree in Pharmacy / Life Sciences / Business.
• 8–12 years of relevant experience in pharma category management, distribution, key accounts, trade marketing, or B2B e-commerce.
• Hands-on experience with supplier negotiations, pricing, trade schemes, and portfolio scaling.
• Strong understanding of pharma supply chain fundamentals: procurement, inventory planning, channel dynamics, batch/expiry handling.

Skills & Competencies

• Commercial acumen: pricing, margins, negotiation, trade terms
• Analytical strength: Excel + dashboards, demand forecasting, cohort/ABC analysis
• Execution excellence: structured planning, stakeholder management, speedy closure
• Communication: vendor management, cross-functional coordination, data storytelling
• Customer-first mindset: understands B2B needs, institutional buying patterns
• Compliance orientation: documentation rigor, authorized sourcing, quality discipline