Category Manager

Role overview

Category strategy and commercial ownership

• Develop strategy across agreed segments such as skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, hygiene, sun care and fragrances.
• Identify demand, trends, underserved segments and brands; maintain a balanced assortment across entry, mid-market and premium price points.
• Set sales, GMV, margin, assortment and availability plans and convert gaps into measurable actions.
• Own sales, GMV, net revenue, gross margin and agreed profitability measures; assess SKU profitability and address unprofitable products and margin leakage.

Brands, suppliers and pricing

• Build relationships with brand principals, authorized UAE distributors, importers, wholesalers and marketplace sellers.
• Negotiate purchase prices, margins, promotional funding, credit terms, minimum order quantities, returns and replenishment commitments.
• Onboard suppliers for commercial attractiveness, authenticity, reliability and customer demand; secure campaigns, bundles and launch partnerships.
• Benchmark competitor prices and promotions while protecting agreed margin thresholds.

Catalogue and availability

• Maintain accurate product names, variants, shades, sizes, ingredients, images, usage information and attributes.
• Control duplicate or incorrect listings, discontinued products, inaccurate descriptions, price discrepancies and availability mismatches.
• Agree stock, replenishment and lead-time commitments; forecast demand using sales trends, seasonality and promotions.
• Monitor stock accuracy, fill rates, short shipments, delivery adherence and stock-related cancellations.

Promotions and customer experience

• Plan seasonal campaigns, brand launches, bundles and promotional events, including Ramadan, Eid and White Friday where appropriate.
• Work with Marketing on brand-funded offers, influencer collaborations, product discovery and campaign execution.
• Measure incremental sales, conversion, average order value, gross margin and promotional return on investment.
• Investigate product complaints, returns and cancellations, including description, variant, authenticity, damage, packaging and stock issues.
• Ensure appropriate authenticity, traceability, batch, expiry, storage and applicable UAE product controls; coordinate corrective actions to prevent recurring issues.

Analytics and collaboration

• Track sales, GMV, margin, conversion, availability, cancellations, returns, supplier performance and promotional effectiveness.
• Use Excel, Pivot Tables, lookup functions and dashboards; SQL or BI tools are advantageous.
• Work with Marketing, Finance, Operations, Catalogue, Technology and Customer Service; present risks, causes and action plans with owners and timelines.

Eligibility criteria

• 5–10+ years of UAE/GCC beauty, personal care, retail or e-commerce experience with substantial direct category management responsibility.
• At least 4–5 years managing commercial relationships, influencing stakeholders and driving cross-functional execution.
• Strong beauty product, brand positioning, assortment, market trend, pricing and supplier management knowledge.
• Proven accountability for category sales, GMV, gross margin, negotiations and profitability improvement; established UAE beauty supplier relationships.
• Hands-on e-commerce or marketplace experience covering catalogue, promotions, digital sales and category performance.
• Experience improving availability, supplier fulfillment, catalogue accuracy, replenishment or avoidable cancellations.
• Advanced Excel skills, including Pivot Tables and XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP; SQL or BI tools are advantageous.
• Understanding of authenticity, traceability, expiry, labelling and applicable UAE product registration requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce or a related field; MBA or postgraduate qualification preferred.

Work location

• Work location is in person.

Success measures