Senior Category Manager - Beauty and Health

Job Description

Job Overview

The Senior Category Manager – Beauty and Health is responsible for optimizing sales, profitability, and overall performance across assigned beauty, personal care, healthcare, and wellness product categories. This role involves strategic category planning, vendor management, pricing, brand development, marketing, merchandising, and inventory management to ensure the right product assortment meets customer needs and achieves business objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Market Analysis

• Identify business opportunities, develop strategies, present recommendations, and implement initiatives to improve operational effectiveness and category performance.
• Conduct market research to assess demand for beauty, personal care, healthcare, and wellness products.
• Monitor market developments, competitor activities, consumer behavior, and emerging beauty and health trends.
• Analyze market insights, category performance, and consumer preferences to identify growth opportunities.
• Research customer needs and preferences across skincare, haircare, cosmetics, fragrances, personal hygiene, and health and wellness products.
• Develop and implement long-term category strategies aligned with the corporate annual business plan and commercial objectives.
• Monitor category sales, profitability, market share, and key performance indicators to identify opportunities for improvement.

Product & Brand Management

• Collaborate with the Marketing department to ensure new products and brands are introduced to the appropriate target markets at the optimal time.
• Identify and select differentiated, innovative, exclusive, and high-potential products, brands, and promotional offerings.
• Manage existing brands and support the development and growth of exclusive and private-label brands.
• Identify new product opportunities based on market research, consumer insights, and customer feedback.
• Develop product positioning strategies to maximize brand visibility, customer engagement, and sales performance.
• Manage product assortment and selection in line with store concepts, customer demographics, and category objectives.
• Establish and implement product selection criteria, pricing strategies, and promotional guidelines.
• Conduct periodic category reviews covering product assortment, shelf space, brand performance, and supplier contribution.
• Monitor product performance and recommend corrective actions, including assortment adjustments or product delisting, for underperforming items.
• Ensure beauty and health products meet applicable quality, labeling, registration, and regulatory requirements before introduction to the market.

Vendor & Supplier Relations

• Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with local and international suppliers, manufacturers, and brand representatives.
• Negotiate commercial terms, product costs, payment conditions, rebates, discounts, promotional support, marketing contributions, and shelf-space agreements.
• Identify and negotiate opportunities for exclusive brand partnerships, new product launches, and improved commercial terms.
• Develop and manage supplier agreements to ensure alignment with company objectives and category profitability targets.
• Conduct regular supplier performance reviews, including sales contribution, profitability, product availability, and commercial performance.
• Analyze vendor profit and loss (P&L) to assess performance and identify opportunities to improve margins and generate additional income.
• Allocate supplier income, promotional contributions, and other commercial resources across relevant departments based on growth potential and business priorities.

Stock & Inventory Management

• Manage inventory levels, product availability, stock movement, aging, assortment, and allocation across stores and warehouses.
• Oversee daily and periodic replenishment orders for locally sourced and internationally imported products.
• Maintain optimal stock levels while minimizing overstock, stockouts, expiry risks, and slow-moving inventory.
• Monitor product shelf life and expiration dates, particularly for health, personal care, skincare, and other products with defined shelf-life requirements.
• Coordinate with supply chain, logistics, and warehouse teams to ensure timely product availability and efficient inventory flow.
• Forecast demand based on historical sales, seasonality, promotions, new product launches, and market trends.
• Identify discontinued, obsolete, and underperforming products and recommend appropriate stock clearance or corrective actions.

Merchandising & Store Layout

• Develop and implement merchandising strategies and product layouts for departments and individual branches based on market trends, consumer behavior, and store demographics.
• Ensure effective product placement, category segmentation, shelf allocation, and brand visibility across beauty and health departments.
• Collaborate with Marketing and store operations teams to implement promotional displays, seasonal campaigns, product launches, and in-store activations.
• Conduct periodic store visits to assess merchandising execution, product availability, pricing accuracy, promotional compliance, and overall category presentation.
• Recommend improvements to shelf space allocation and product positioning to maximize customer engagement, sales, and profitability.

Team Leadership & Staff Management

• Provide ongoing leadership, guidance, and support to the category team to achieve departmental objectives.
• Ensure team members receive appropriate training, orientation, and on-the-job development using established procedures and checklists.
• Monitor team performance and ensure responsibilities are clearly assigned and aligned with business priorities.
• Address staff concerns and operational issues, escalating unresolved matters to the appropriate superior.
• Recommend disciplinary actions when necessary, in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Manage team schedules, including shifts, training sessions, vacations, leaves, and backup arrangements.
• Promote effective departmental communication, teamwork, accountability, and employee participation.
• Ensure team members are informed of policy updates, new product developments, and relevant service and operational initiatives.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5–8 years of experience in category management, purchasing, merchandising, or a related field, preferably within beauty, personal care, healthcare, pharmacy, or retail.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of category management, product assortment, pricing, supplier negotiations, and inventory optimization.

Additional Information