Category Manager at Drugstoc eHub Limited

Job Overview:

• The Category Manager is responsible for a specific group of products (a category) within DrugStoc’s overall product portfolio. In this role, the individual acts as the “business owner” for their category, orchestrating everything from product selection and pricing to promotions and inventory levels for those items. The Category Manager’s goal is to maximize the sales, market share, and profitability of their category by understanding market trends, customer needs (pharmacies, hospitals), and supplier capabilities. They ensure that DrugStoc offers a competitive and appealing assortment of products in their category, with optimal stock levels and compelling pricing, thereby attracting and retaining customers on the platform. This role bridges marketing, sales, and procurement functions, requiring a mix of analytical and strategic skills as well as negotiation and relationship management with suppliers.

JOBS TO BE DONE

• Curate and optimize product assortment
• Drive category growth through well-executed strategies and campaigns.
• Manage supplier relationships
• Leverage insights and analytics
• Collaborate cross-functionally

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and maintain the optimal product mix for the category, ensuring key brands and generics are always available. Identify and source high-demand products while phasing out underperforming or obsolete items to keep the catalog competitive.
• Set and adjust category pricing strategies to stay competitive while meeting margin targets. Monitor competitor pricing, analyze costs, and collaborate with finance to optimize category profitability.
• Design and execute category-specific promotions and campaigns in collaboration with suppliers and the marketing team. Track performance to refine future initiatives and boost customer acquisition and sales growth.
• Build and manage strong supplier relationships through regular performance reviews and negotiations. Secure favorable terms, marketing support, and reliable supply while maintaining backup suppliers for critical products.
• Use sales data, seasonality trends, and market insights to forecast demand accurately. Collaborate with procurement and inventory teams to prevent stockouts, manage overstock risks, and maintain healthy inventory turnover.
• Continuously analyze market trends, competitor activities, and customer feedback to identify opportunities and gaps. Recommend new product introductions, category expansions, or process improvements to meet customer needs.
• Analyze category KPIs including sales, revenue, profit, and market share. Prepare periodic reports highlighting key drivers, risks, and growth opportunities, while setting priorities for the next review period.

CORE EXPERTISE

• Strong ability to analyze sales data, customer purchasing patterns, and market research to derive actionable insights . 
• Proficient in using Excel or BI tools to slice data (by product, region, customer segment) and identify trends. 
• Comfortable with metrics like sales growth, margin analysis, and inventory KPIs, using them to drive decisions. 
• Able to develop and execute a strategic plan for the category – this means understanding the company’s overall strategy and aligning the category plan with it. 
• Good negotiation skills when dealing with suppliers – often negotiating within the context of overall procurement, but specifically focusing on deals that can boost the category (like better discount for a promotional bundle). 
• Strong influencing skills internally: the Category Manager often needs to persuade internal stakeholders (sales, marketing, procurement) to support category initiatives, so being able to make data-driven cases and rally support is key. 
• In-depth knowledge of the product category, including technical understanding of key products.
• A keen sense for customer needs and behavior in the category.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work in a cross-functional environment. 
• Familiarity with inventory management systems and sales analytics tools is helpful. 

This role will be perfect for you if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy. An MBA or master’s in a relevant field (marketing, business analytics, etc.) can be advantageous 
• 4-6+ years of experience in roles such as Category Management, Product Management, Merchandising, or Buying. 
• Experience in the pharmaceutical sector or healthcare supply chain is highly preferred since it equips the candidate with industry-specific knowledge (drug products, regulatory environment, customer base). 
• Proficiency in using Excel at an advanced level (lookup functions, pivot tables, charts) is usually required. 
• Experience with any inventory planning or ERP systems (to pull data or set parameters) is useful.
• Creativity in marketing and problem-solving. Strong organizational skills to manage the many facets of a category (from planning to execution).