Senior Category Manager- Staples

Michael Page; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page is seeking an experienced Staples category leader for a high-growth ecommerce client based in Bengaluru. You will own category strategy, pricing, assortment, and pack architecture, driving revenue growth and profitability.

You will build and manage sourcing relationships across suppliers and partners, develop SKU portfolios across staples, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize forecasting, inventory health, and promotions.

Qualifications

• 6–12 years in Staples category management with sourcing, pricing, inventory, and profitability ownership.
• Experience across staples: rice, flour, pulses, edible oils, spices, sugar.
• Experience managing branded and unbranded sourcing and supplier negotiations.
• Experience in retail/e-commerce/consumer distribution environments.
• Strong commercial acumen: commodity cycles, working capital, margin optimisation.
• Customer-centric mindset with analytical rigour to translate insights into strategies.
• High ownership, integrity, attention to detail, execution excellence.

Responsibilities

• Own the Staples category strategy covering revenue, profitability, pricing, assortment, and pack architecture.
• Build and manage sourcing relationships with suppliers, distributors, and value-based partners.
• Develop SKU portfolios across staples categories: grains, flours, pulses, oils, spices, sugar.
• Drive economics via buying, negotiations, inventory optimisation, and margin management.
• Design pricing and pack sizes balancing affordability, demand, and profitability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve forecasting, replenishment, availability, and inventory health.
• Leverage insights to strengthen assortment decisions, promotions, and category performance.
• Establish scalable operating mechanisms and supplier governance; explore private-label opportunities.

Job description

• Own a high-impact category with P&L ownership
• Shape sourcing strategy in a scaling business

About Our Client

Our client is an innovative E-commerce business.

Job Description

• Own the Staples category strategy, including revenue growth, profitability, pricing, assortment, merchandising, and pack architecture.
• Build and manage sourcing relationships across suppliers, distributors, local brands, commodity markets, and value-based partners.
• Develop SKU portfolios across key staples categories including grains, flours, pulses, edible oils, spices, sugar, and related products.
• Drive category economics through disciplined buying, commercial negotiations, inventory optimisation, and margin management.
• Design effective pricing and pack-size architectures that balance affordability, consumer demand, and profitability.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to improve forecasting, replenishment, availability, and inventory health.
• Leverage field insights and customer behaviour data to strengthen assortment decisions, promotions, and category performance.
• Establish scalable category operating mechanisms, supplier governance processes, and future private-label opportunities where commercially viable.

The Successful Applicant

• 6-12 years of experience in Staples category management with ownership of sourcing, assortment, pricing, supplier management, inventory, and category profitability.
• Strong expertise across multiple staples categories such as rice, flour, pulses, edible oils, spices, sugar, and related commodity-led businesses.
• Demonstrated ability to manage both branded and unbranded sourcing ecosystems and negotiate supplier commercials independently.
• Experience within retail, e-commerce, quick commerce, B2B commerce, or consumer-focused distribution environments.
• Strong commercial acumen with expertise in commodity cycles, working capital, inventory management, and margin optimisation.
• Customer-centric mindset combined with analytical rigour and the ability to translate consumer insights into scalable category strategies.
• High levels of ownership, integrity, attention to detail, and execution excellence.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to build and scale a strategically important category with significant business impact.
• Broad ownership spanning category management, sourcing, pricing, and commercial strategy.
• Exposure to a high-growth consumer and commerce environment.
• Collaborative leadership role with strong visibility across senior stakeholders.
• Competitive compensation aligned with experience and impact.