Category Manager – SDA / MDA / TV

Role overview

Category and supplier management

• Develop strategies to achieve sales, GMV, gross margin, and profitability targets; identify trends, high-demand products, and new brands.
• Manage relationships with brand principals, authorized distributors, dealers, and suppliers.
• Negotiate purchase prices, margins, rebates, promotional funding, credit terms, warranty support, and supply commitments.
• Monitor category and product profitability, competitor pricing, and promotional effectiveness.

Operations and cross-functional work

• Maintain accurate product listings, models, specifications, pricing, warranty details, and availability.
• Forecast demand and improve stock accuracy, supplier fulfilment, and replenishment.
• Plan seasonal campaigns, product launches, and promotions with Marketing and suppliers.
• Monitor delivery, installation, returns, warranty, and after-sales issues and implement corrective actions.
• Analyze sales, margins, inventory ageing, cancellations, and supplier performance; collaborate across Finance, Operations, Marketing, Catalogue, Technology, and Customer Service.

Experience and qualifications

• 12+ years of UAE/GCC retail, e-commerce, or distribution experience; direct SDA, MDA, and/or TV category ownership is preferred.
• At least 5 years managing commercial relationships and cross-functional execution.
• Strong product, brand, model, pricing, market, supplier negotiation, category sales, GMV, gross margin, and profitability experience.
• Hands-on experience in e-commerce marketplaces, consumer electronics retail, appliance distribution, or organized retail.
• Demonstrated ability to improve stock availability, supplier fulfilment, catalogue accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Skills and education

• Advanced Excel, including Pivot Tables and XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP; SQL or BI tools are an advantage.
• Understanding of warranty, delivery, installation, after-sales service, and applicable product compliance requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce, or a related field; an MBA or postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• UAE-based candidates with local market knowledge are preferred.