Category Head

Category Head Indian Festivals & Seasonal Non-Food

Location: Dubai, UAE

Experience: 5 10+ Years

Role Overview

Looking for an experienced Category Head to own the Indian Festivals & Seasonal Non-Food category across major festivals including Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Rakhi, Holi and other key occasions.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the category end-to-end across assortment, pricing, margins, sales and profitability.
• Develop product assortments based on festival trends, customer demand and past performance.
• Strong understanding of what sells across major Indian festivals.
• Plan demand and order quantities based on festival calendars.
• Work backwards from festival dates to ensure timely product availability and ordering.
• Manage vendors, suppliers, pricing and commercial negotiations.
• Track category performance, inventory and margins and improve the assortment accordingly.
• Manage the white-label candles category, including assortment and commercial performance.

Requirements

• 5 10+ years in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising or Product Management.
• Mandatory experience with Indian festival/seasonal non-food categories.
• Proven experience owning a category commercially not just procurement or order placement.
• Strong understanding of assortment planning, pricing, margins and demand forecasting.
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills.
• UAE/GCC experience preferred.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The Ideal Candidate Should Have

• Hands-on experience managing product assortments across major Indian festivals such as Diwali, Rakhi, Holi and Ganesh Chaturthi.
• A strong understanding of festival-specific consumer demand and what products perform during each occasion.
• Proven ownership of a category from product selection and assortment through pricing, margins, ordering and profitability.
• Experience working backwards from festival calendars to forecast demand, determine quantities and ensure products are ordered and available on time.
• Strong commercial understanding with the ability to balance sales, margins, inventory and product availability.
• Experience managing vendors/suppliers and negotiating pricing and commercial terms.
• Ideally, exposure to seasonal, gifting, home decor, lifestyle or other non-food consumer categories.
• A hands-on, commercially driven approach rather than a profile focused primarily on procurement or purchase-order execution.

Skills

Ecommerce category Head, Quick Commerce, Online shopping, Catalogue manager