Category Manager - Buying - Retail

About the job:

Role & Responsibilities:

Business strategy:

- Know the customer: Deeply understand customer behaviour and demand in Kids wear.

- Assortment completeness: Identify and onboard the best brands to achieve Hopscotch Assortment Vision. Build supply where gaps have been identified, with best in market brands- prices launches.

- Drive success rate, product conversion and top line via stronger assortment.

- Know the market: Stay on top of trends in the industry, find opportunities and prioritize based on potential of brands, platform strengths, internal capabilities, etc.

- Know the competition: Understand online and offline players. Ensure Hopscotch selection stays well ahead of competition, make Hopscotch the preferred platform for brands.

- Influence the stakeholders: Convert strategies into action by liaising with cross-functional stakeholders and drive growth for Hopscotch as well as brands. Work Closely with Assortment and Planning team- Track performance and build a constant feedback loop on improving assortment and profitability.

- Customer experience: Deep ties to ensure best replenishment and freshness in assortment from brands.

Vendor Management:

- Negotiate Business Terms: Own the terms of business with the vendor- margins, products, returns, monetisation, promotions budgets etc. Drive bottom line growth via business terms negotiations.

- Develop deep and long-standing relationship with the brands/vendors - to drive relationships from the strategic to the tactical. High share of mind from the supply brand partners.

Market Understanding

- Competition Mapping: Have an in-depth knowledge of competition / Industry and brands.

- Ensure Hopscotch selection stays well ahead of competition, make Hopscotch the preferred platform.

- Find opportunities to suggest for future growth.

- Develop and implement industry best practices.

People:

- Build, retain and groom a strong team to deliver.

- Set goals, define KPIs and ensure team tracks effectively towards goals.

Ideal Candidate:

Educational background NIFT / MBA is preferred with min 5-7 years experience.

- Knowledge of retail, E-commerce and recent 2 years kidswear KAM experience is a must.

- Proven negotiation skills, influencing abilities.

- Good organizational skills including prioritizing, scheduling, time management, and meeting deadlines.

- Strong analytical & problem-solving skills, data driven decision making.

- Strong bias for Action - Hopscotch works at a very rapid pace. Ability to translate strategies into execution plans and take them to completion.

- Ability to connect with people across teams & levels. Proven experience leading cross-functional projects.

- Excellent verbal and written communication.

- Must be willing to learn.

- Innovative, team oriented, and have a desire to participate in change and appreciate a dynamic environment with rapidly changing priorities