Manager, Category Management

Sales; Selangor; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading ecommerce platform in Malaysia is looking for a Category Manager to drive category performance, manage P&L, and collaborate with stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have experience in category management, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to analyze data. Responsibilities include onboarding strategic brands, pricing strategies, and optimizing operations. This role is critical for achieving growth targets and enhancing customer experience.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in category management with a strong P&L understanding.
• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Ability to analyze data for strategic decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Own category strategy and P&L management.
• Identify and onboard strategic brands/merchants.
• Drive pricing, promotions, and merchandising strategies.
• Forecast demand and optimize operations.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders and partners.

Job description

• The Category Management team drives end-to-end category performance—from strategy and assortment to pricing, promotions, and partner success.
• We work closely with Marketing, Operations, Finance, Product, and Regional teams to deliver great selection, sharp pricing strategy and best-in-class user experiences.
• You will collaborate with Key Account Managers and Partner Operations to acquire and onboard strategic brands/merchants and to run joint business plans that grow the category sustainably.

Get to Know the Role

• Reporting to the Head of GrabMart, you will own the strategy, P&L, and day-to-day execution for your category.
• You’ll identify growth opportunities, acquire and onboard priority brands/merchants, shape assortment, negotiate commercial terms, plan campaigns, and use data to drive performance across GMV, revenue, margins, selection, and customer experience.

The Critical Tasks You Will Perform

• Own category strategy and category P&L
  • Define and execute short- and long-term growth plans; deliver GMV, revenue, margin, take rate, and contribution profit targets.
  • Monitor market trends, competitor strategies, and consumer insights to refine category positioning and maintain competitiveness.
  • Identify and prioritize strategic brands/merchants; lead outreach, pitching, and negotiations.
  • Define pricing and promotion frameworks in coordination with Strategy & Growth to drive both top-line and profitability.
  • Set clear KPIs for category performance (GMV, contribution margin, fill rates, supplier participation) and take corrective actions when needed.
• Partner with KAMs/AMs to onboard and set up catalogs/menu/inventory with strong fundamentals.
  • Lead commercial negotiations and JBPs
  • Negotiate commissions, trade terms, and marketing investments to maximize category profitability.
  • Develop and track Joint Business Plans (assortment, pricing, visibility, promos, service levels).
• Drive pricing, promotions, and merchandising
  • Build a balanced assortment strategy that ensures availability of staples, introduces innovation (new brands/products), and differentiates our platform with exclusives.
  • Plan and execute promo calendars with Marketing/CRM; run A/B tests and measure ROI.
  • Apply data-driven assortment planning: analyze customer behavior, sales velocity, and basket composition to decide which SKUs to expand, reduce, or rotate.
  • Optimize in-app merchandising: search, homepage, collections, and placements for conversion.
  • Partner with the Loyalty/Ads specialist to create category-led campaigns (e.g., repeat purchase programs, category sponsorships).
• Forecast and optimize operations
  • Build demand forecasts; Partner with merchants on inventory availability and order fill rates
  • Analyze performance and unlock insights
• Stakeholder and partner management
  • Build relationships with brand/merchant decision-makers; conduct QBRs and performance reviews.
  • Work cross-functionally with Marketing, Ops, Finance, Legal/Compliance, Product, and Regional teams.
• Process excellence and experimentation
  • Pilot, learn, and scale initiatives that boost selection, availability, and growth.
• People leadership
  • Lead and coach associates/analysts; contribute to a high-performance culture.