V-Guard - Assistant Manager/Deputy Manager - Category Strategy - Appliances

V-Guard Industries Ltd; Gurugram District; Hybrid; INR 8,00,000 - 12,00,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consumer goods company is seeking a Category Manager to drive product development and innovation. The ideal candidate will have 2-3 years of experience in category planning or product management and a strong analytical background. Responsibilities include managing product portfolios, conducting market analyses, and collaborating with various teams. An MBA from a premier business school is preferred, along with excellent presentation skills and the ability to travel frequently between locations.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of experience in Category Planning/Product Management or consulting in FMCG/FMCD.
• Experience in product portfolio management using consumer insights.
• New product launch know-how and P&L understanding.

Responsibilities

• Assist in new product development and planning processes.
• Conduct market scans and create business plans.
• Review monthly sales and margin for categories.

Skills

Analytical skills

P&L understanding

Presentation skills

Marketing strategy execution

Collaboration

Proactive approach

Consumer insights analysis

Education

MBA from premier business schools

Job description

Core Roles & Responsibilities for Category Manager at V-Guard

Strategic Part

• Assist the process of new product development from consumer insight to product concept development, driving the innovation agenda for the organization while working closely with external and internal teams (R&D, Design & Sales)
• Assist with the above annual planning process for all channels (General Trade, Modern Trade, eCommerce, Exports, CSD, etc) to have a comprehensive category map for different product categories.
• Undertake/Drive market scan to identify new potential categories based on core/adjacency to existing business or basis any opportunity that may come up. Market scan will include preparing business plans, go-to-market plans and launch plans as well
• Lead/Assist the commercial refresh process to ensure, channel wise product plan & channel wise profitability plan is designed and delivered, product life cycle management decisions - Refresh/Reposition/Re-price.
• Assist in building a 5 yr category and P&L roadmap for the designated category (Appliances)

Operating Part

• Review the monthly sales and margin for the designated category.
• Pricing management - Setting MOP bands, DP's, and scheme analysis
• Lead/assist work for effective 360-degree communication to ensure the product value proposition reaches target customers
• Conduct regular competition benchmarking - product portfolio, pricing, communication across different channels
• Assist in designing the core market research brief - projects including U&A, Continuous Brand Track, opportunity analysis, consumer immersion, competitive analysis & social media listening to improve brand equity
• Drive planned/adhoc Micro Marketing Plans across planned geographies for the branch/region.

Supporting Responsibilities for Category Manager at VGuard

• Support New Product Development team in the product planning journey from feasibility (technical, commercial, etc) to product proposal
• Support Brand & Communication (B&C) team so to translate the effective communication plan into action across ATL/BTL/Digital
• Support/Guide R&D team as they work on the TRM, providing market side inputs

Candidate must have

• 2-3 years of work experience working across Category Planning/Business Planning/Product Management OR 2-3 years of consulting experience in FMCG/FMCD across strategy and implementation
• Experience in assisting the product portfolio, utilizing consumer usage, attitudes, needs, and wants for product development direction
• New product launch know-how (economics, process, program, skills)
• P&L Understanding
• Have experience planning and executing marketing strategies and activities that drive business results while remaining true to the brand.
• Ability to turn online and offline data into meaningful insights and insights that drive action.
• Have a sharp analytical skill and strong financial acumen
• Leading and thriving in ambiguity & cross-group collaboration
• Proactive individual who is a self-starter and takes initiative
• Strong, concise presentation skills and storytelling
• Innovative, team-oriented, and have a desire to participate in change and appreciate a dynamic environment with rapidly changing priorities
• Be a relentless driver who is skilled in getting work done through influence of others - both internally at VGuard and externally through partners
• MBA from premier business schools preferred
• 50% travel between Delhi and Kochi