Category Manager - Sports

ZALORA Group; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading online fashion retailer is seeking a Sports Category Manager to own the end-to-end commercial strategy for the Sports category, including footwear and apparel. You will be responsible for driving sales and margin targets, leading vendor negotiations, managing inventory, and ensuring an excellent customer experience. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in category management or fashion retail, strong analytical skills, and proven capabilities in stakeholder management. Experience with buying decisions is essential.

Benefits

30-day free returns

Speedy deliveries as fast as 3 hours

Free delivery over a certain spend

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years in category management, buying, or merchandising.
• Proven capability in managing seasonal cycles and buying decisions.
• Strong negotiation and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Own category performance and trading outcomes across sales and margins.
• Lead the seasonal range build and assortment strategy.
• Negotiate commercial terms and manage vendor relationships.

Skills

Category management

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

The SportsCategoryManager owns the end-to-end commercial strategy and performance of the Sports category (e.g., footwear, apparel, accessories).

The role is accountable for delivering targets across GMV/Net Revenue, margin, markdowns, stock health, and customer experience.

Responsibilities

1) Category Strategy & Commercial Ownership

• Own category performance and trading outcomes across sales/GMV, margin, markdowns, and stock productivity.
• Build the category strategy: brand architecture, price ladder, sport segments (running/training/outdoor/athleisure), and target customer permissions.
• Lead monthly and seasonal forecasts; set clear growth drivers and priorities.

2) Buying, Range Build & Seasonal Planning (Core Accountability)

• Lead the seasonal range build and buying decisions.
• Assortment strategy (core vs trend, breadth/depth, key franchises).
• Style/SKU selection aligned to market/customer needs.
• Buy quantities and delivery phasing (in partnership with Planning/Finance where applicable).
• Define replenishment strategy for core lines and fast sellers; adjust buy in season based on performance.
• Conduct competitor/trend benchmarking to ensure relevant range and strong price positioning.

3) Vendor/Brand Management & Negotiation

• Own relationships with key sports brands/distributors/vendors.
• Negotiate commercial terms: margin/cost, funding, rebates, marketing support, exclusives/launches, campaign participation (as applicable).
• Build Joint Business Plans (JBPs) and run regular performance reviews/QBRs.

4) Trading, Pricing, Promotions & Markdown Management

• Set category pricing architecture and ensure price competitiveness.
• Own campaign readiness and execution: hero SKUs, promo mechanics, and visibility requirements.
• Manage markdown strategy to hit sell-through targets while protecting profitability.

5) Stock & Availability Management

• Drive inventory health: stock cover, sell-through, ageing, stock turn, and end-of-season exit.
• Partner with Supply Chain/Operations to manage inbound flow and reduce OOS on key lines.

6) Onsite Execution & Customer Experience

• Ensure trade-ready product pages: images, attributes, size/fit info, taxonomy, SEO basics.
• Work with onsite/merchandising teams to improve discoverability and conversion (filters, landing pages, search relevance).

7) Team Leadership (CategoryAdmin)

• Set clear weekly priorities and ways of working for the CategoryAdmin.
• Coach on execution quality: PO accuracy, time discipline, data hygiene, and cross-team coordination.

Requirements

• 5–10+ years in category management/buying/merchandising/trading (sports or fashion retail/e-commerce preferred).
• Proven capability owning buying decisions (assortment + quantities) and managing seasonal cycles.
• Strong negotiation and partner management skills.
• Strong analytical capability (advanced Excel/GoogleSheets).
• Strong stakeholder management across Planning, Marketing, Ops, and Content.

ZALORA Story

ZALORA is Asia’s Online Fashion Destination. Founded in 2012, the company has a presence in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong. ZALORA is part of Global Fashion Group, the world's leader in online fashion for emerging markets. ZALORA offers an extensive collection of top international and local brands and products across apparel, shoes, accessories, and beauty categories for men and women. Offering up to 30-day free returns, speedy deliveries as fast as 3 hours, free delivery over a certain spend, and multiple payment methods including cash‑on‑delivery, ZALORA is the online shopping destination with endless fashion possibilities.