Posted 14 June, 2026

Category Head | High Growth D2C brand

Michael Page

Mumbai, MH, IN Full Time

Reference: 0741eea5f217ac68

About Our Client

Job Description

1. End-to-End P&L Ownership

Own category-level P&L including revenue, gross margins, contribution margins, and bottom-line delivery.
Drive cost efficiency, pricing strategy, demand forecasting, and inventory planning in partnership with finance and supply chain teams.
Monitor performance through dashboards and use data-driven insights to steer business decisions.

2. Category & Business Strategy

Define and execute long-term category strategy aligned with consumer needs, brand positioning, and business goals.
Identify whitespace opportunities and develop the product roadmap for new launches and innovations.
Build annual operating plans (AOPs) with clear volume, value, and channel targets.

3. 4Ps Ownership (Product, Price, Place, Promotion)

Lead product strategy including concept creation, packaging decisions, claims, and consumer value propositions.
Develop pricing models that balance competitiveness and profitability.
Identify the right distribution mix across D2C, marketplaces, offline retail (if applicable).
Craft and oversee integrated marketing campaigns to drive awareness, acquisition, and loyalty.

4. Go-To-Market (GTM) Excellence

Create robust GTM frameworks for new product launches and category expansion.
Partner with digital, growth, CRM, performance marketing, and brand teams to deliver seamless execution.
Build strong channel strategies for D2C and marketplace environments.

5. Leadership & Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management

Influence and collaborate with senior leaders across Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Tech, and Creative.
Align leadership teams on category priorities, resource allocation, and growth initiatives.
Manage and mentor high-performing cross-functional teams to drive execution.

6. Consumer & Market Understanding

Deeply understand the female wellness landscape, category trends, and consumer motivations.
Lead consumer research, competition benchmarking, and opportunity mapping.
Drive a consumer-first culture across the team and product pipeline.

7. Commercial & Business Acumen

Bring strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate insights into actionable business decisions.
Evaluate business performance through KPIs such as CAC, LTV, repeat rates, category margins, retention metrics, and marketing efficiencies.
Continuously optimize the category's financial health through levers such as portfolio mix, pricing, promotions, and operational efficiencies.

The Successful Applicant

A successful Category Head should have:

Diversity candidates are preferred
Minimum 8 + experience in a Top tier FMCG firm
Only Top Tier MBAs will be considered for this role
Should have majority of their experience in end to end brand management/marketing management
Strong commercial judgment with experience in managing P&Ls at multiple levels.
A blend of sales and marketing exposure, along with proven capability in brand building.
Ability to look beyond data, form independent viewpoints, and articulate ideas clearly.
Excellent stakeholder‑management skills with the ability to influence senior decision‑makers.
A well‑rounded mix of ambition and a solid ethical compass.
A consumer‑first, first‑principles approach to solving problems.