Senior Category Manager – Dairy

Role: Senior Category Manager – Dairy Location: Sector 67, Gurugram Experience: 4–8 Years About: Fairdeal.Market Fairdeal.Market is a rapidly growing B2B quick commerce company offering a wide range of FMCG products with delivery times as short as 60 minutes. Our mission is to build India's most efficient retail supply chain by enabling retailers to access the right products at the right time through a technology- driven commerce ecosystem. As we continue to expand our category portfolio, we are looking for an experienced Category Manager – Dairy who can drive category growth, supplier partnerships, assortment planning, and profitability across the Dairy business. Role Overview We are looking for a highly commercial and execution-oriented Category Manager – Dairy to own the end-to-end performance of the Dairy category. This role will be responsible for category strategy, supplier management, assortment planning, procurement, pricing, inventory management, and business growth. The ideal candidate should have strong experience in Dairy buying, merchandising, category management, or procurement within FMCG, retail, e-commerce, or quick commerce businesses. The successful candidate will play a critical role in building supplier partnerships, driving category revenue, improving margins, and ensuring best-in-class product availability for retailers. Key Responsibilities A. Category Development & Assortment Strategy • Own and grow the Dairy category across milk, curd, paneer, butter, cheese, ghee, dairy beverages, and value-added dairy products • Expand category assortment by identifying high-demand SKUs, emerging brands, and regional opportunities • Develop category growth plans aligned with overall business objectives • Drive AOV growth and increase category contribution across retailer orders • Continuously optimize assortment based on sales trends, customer demand, and market insights B. Revenue Growth & Category Planning • Develop and execute short-term and long-term category growth plans • Lead annual business planning and monthly category reviews • Own category GMV, revenue, margins, and profitability targets • Build monthly category and brand-level performance plans and track actuals against targets • Drive category growth through assortment expansion, pricing strategies, and supplier partnerships C. Supplier Management & Procurement • Build and manage relationships with national, regional, and local dairy brands and manufacturers • Lead commercial negotiations including pricing, trade terms, schemes, rebates, and payment terms • Secure favorable procurement terms while ensuring product availability • Develop long-term strategic partnerships with key dairy suppliers • Ensure procurement efficiency and cost optimization across the category D. Inventory & Supply Chain Management • Maintain optimal inventory levels across all dark stores • Ensure high fill rates and product availability across key SKUs • Work closely with Supply Chain and Procurement teams to manage replenishment planning • Minimize inventory expiry, wastage, and stock-outs, especially for short shelf-life dairy products • Monitor inventory health, ageing, and stock rotation to maximize freshness and profitability E. Customer & Market Insights • Analyze customer buying behavior, demand trends, and retailer preferences • Identify opportunities to improve customer acquisition, retention, and repeat purchases • Leverage customer feedback to improve assortment and product availability • Track competitor activities, market pricing, and category trends • Champion a customer-first approach in all category decisions F. Sales & Marketing Collaboration • Develop quarterly promotional and activation calendars for the Dairy category • Collaborate with Sales and Marketing teams to drive category visibility and growth • Work with supplier partners on joint business plans and promotional campaigns • Drive monetization opportunities through brand-funded activities and trade promotions • Ensure effective execution of category campaigns across channels G. Analytics & Business Performance • Monitor category KPIs including GMV, margin, fill rate, inventory turns, stock-outs, and assortment productivity • Conduct regular category performance reviews and identify growth opportunities • Build data-driven recommendations to improve category profitability • Analyze SKU-level and brand-level performance to optimize category mix • Support leadership with category insights and strategic recommendations What We’re Looking For • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Supply Chain, or related field • 4–8 years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising, Procurement, or FMCG Sales • Strong experience managing Dairy, Fresh Foods, Dairy Products, or related FMCG categories • Proven track record of supplier negotiations and category growth • Strong analytical and commercial acumen • Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced business environment Good to Have • Experience in Quick Commerce, E-commerce, Retail, FMCG Distribution, or B2B Commerce • Existing relationships with Dairy manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers • Understanding of cold-chain supply chain operations • Experience managing short shelf-life products • Familiarity with inventory planning and demand forecasting systems • Exposure to category analytics and business intelligence tools Key Skills & Attributes • Strong commercial and business acumen • Excellent supplier negotiation skills • Data-driven decision-making mindset • Strong ownership and accountability • Strategic thinking with execution excellence • Customer-centric approach • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities • Ability to thrive in a high-growth startup environment • Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills What You’ll Get • Opportunity to own and scale one of the most critical categories in the business • Direct exposure to founders, leadership, and strategic decision-making • High ownership and end-to-end category responsibility • Opportunity to work closely with leading Dairy brands and manufacturers • Fast-paced learning environment with significant growth opportunities • Be part of one of India's fastest-growing B2B quick commerce companies and help build the future of retail distribution. Department: Category Experience: 4-8 Years