Category Manager

Role Overview

OurShopee is seeking an experienced, commercially driven Category Manager to lead the growth, profitability and operational performance of Beauty & Personal Care across the UAE, with potential GCC expansion. The role owns category strategy, brand partnerships, assortment, pricing, margins and promotions, while improving catalogue accuracy, stock reliability and customer experience. The candidate must combine a strong local beauty network with analytical capability and end-to-end execution.

1. Category Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute the Beauty & Personal Care category strategy across relevant segments such as skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, personal hygiene, sun care and fragrances where included in the agreed scope.
• Identify high-demand products, emerging trends, underserved segments and new brands; build a balanced assortment across entry-level, mid-market and premium price points.
• Set clear sales, GMV, gross margin, assortment and availability plans and convert performance gaps into measurable action plans.

1. Brand Partnerships & Commercial Negotiations

• Build relationships with brand principals, authorised UAE distributors, importers, wholesalers and relevant marketplace sellers.
• Negotiate purchase prices, margins, promotional funding, credit terms, minimum order quantities, return policies and replenishment commitments.
• Onboard suppliers based on commercial attractiveness, authenticity, supply reliability and customer demand; secure brand-funded campaigns, bundles and launch partnerships.

1. Category P&L & Profitability

• Own category sales, GMV, net revenue, gross margin and agreed contribution or profitability measures.
• Assess SKU-level profitability after relevant discounts, promotional funding, marketplace fees, fulfilment costs and other applicable commercial costs.
• Identify margin leakage, unprofitable SKUs, excessive discounting and opportunities to improve product and brand mix.

1. Assortment, Catalogue & Pricing Accuracy

• Ensure listings have accurate brand, product name, variant, shade, size, ingredients, images, usage information and relevant attributes.
• Control duplicate listings, incorrect variants, discontinued products, inaccurate descriptions, price discrepancies and availability mismatches.
• Benchmark competitor pricing and promotions while maintaining agreed margin thresholds.

1. Supplier Stock Availability & Order Reliability

• Agree stock confirmation, replenishment and lead-time commitments with suppliers; forecast demand using sales trends, seasonality and promotions.
• Monitor stock accuracy, supplier fill rates, short shipments, delivery adherence and stock-related cancellations.
• Coordinate with Operations, Commercial and Customer Service to resolve supply failures and prevent avoidable customer escalations.

1. Promotions, Marketing & Conversion

• Plan relevant seasonal campaigns, brand launches, bundles and promotional events, including Ramadan, Eid and White Friday where appropriate.
• Work with Marketing on brand-funded offers, influencer collaborations, product discovery and campaign execution.
• Measure incremental sales, conversion, average order value, gross margin and return on promotional investment.

1. Customer Experience & Root-Cause Resolution

• Review product-related complaints, returns and cancellations; investigate inaccurate descriptions, wrong variants, authenticity concerns, damaged goods, packaging and stock mismatches.
• Ensure appropriate controls for authenticity, traceability, batch, expiry, storage and applicable UAE product requirements.
• Work with Customer Service, Operations and suppliers on corrective actions that prevent repeated issues rather than leaving resolution solely to CS.

1. Reporting, Analytics & Cross-Functional Ownership

• Track sales, GMV, margin, conversion, stock availability, cancellations, returns, supplier performance and promotional effectiveness.
• Use advanced Excel, Pivot Tables, lookup functions and dashboards; SQL or BI tools are an advantage.
• Work with Marketing, Finance, Operations, Catalogue, Technology and Customer Service; present risks, root causes and action plans with clear owners and timelines.

Eligibility Criteria

• 5–10+ years of relevant UAE/GCC beauty, personal care, retail or e-commerce experience, with substantial direct category management responsibility.
• At least 4–5 years managing commercial relationships, influencing stakeholders and driving cross-functional execution.
• Strong understanding of beauty products, brand positioning, assortment, market trends, pricing and supplier management.
• Demonstrated accountability for category sales, GMV, gross margin, commercial negotiations and profitability improvement.
• Established relationships with relevant UAE beauty brands, authorised distributors, importers and suppliers.
• Hands-on e-commerce or marketplace experience covering catalogue, promotions, digital sales and category performance.
• Evidence of improving stock availability, supplier fulfilment, catalogue accuracy, replenishment or avoidable cancellations.
• Advanced Excel proficiency, including Pivot Tables and XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP; SQL or BI tools are advantageous.
• Understanding of product authenticity, traceability, expiry, labelling and applicable UAE product registration requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Commerce or a related field; MBA or postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, communication and problem-solving skills; UAE-based candidates with local market knowledge preferred.

Success Measures

• Category sales, GMV and net revenue growth.
• Gross margin and agreed category profitability.
• New brand/supplier onboarding and productive assortment expansion.
• Product availability, stock accuracy and supplier fulfilment.
• Reduction in avoidable stock-related cancellations and recurring product complaints.
• Catalogue accuracy, competitive pricing and promotional effectiveness.
• Conversion, average order value and implementation of corrective actions.

Work Location: In person