Director/Associate Director - Category Management - FMCG/Grocery

: Director / Associate Director - Category Management Category: FMCG / Grocery / Staples Location: Bangalore, Karnataka Experience: 7 - 14 years Education: IIT or another reputed top-tier institution Preferred Consulting Background: McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, or Boston Consulting Group (BCG) About the Company: Our client is a technology-driven B2B marketplace transforming India's food and grocery ecosystem. The company enables retailers and businesses to access a wide range of products through an integrated platform combining technology, supply chain, procurement, and distribution capabilities. Role Overview: We are looking for a high-calibre Director / Associate Director - Category Management to lead and scale key FMCG, grocery, and staples categories. The ideal candidate will combine strong strategic and analytical capabilities, relevant experience with a leading management consulting firm, and hands-on experience managing categories in a senior industry role. The role requires a commercially driven leader who can translate business insights into actionable category strategies, drive profitable growth, strengthen supplier partnerships, optimise pricing and assortment, and build a competitive category portfolio in a dynamic B2B commerce environment. Key Responsibilities: - Develop and execute category strategies for FMCG, grocery, and staples. - Drive revenue growth, market share, profitability, and long-term business expansion. - Identify new growth opportunities through market analysis and customer insights. - Own category-level business performance, including revenue, gross margins, contribution margins, and other key commercial metrics. - Identify and execute initiatives to improve category profitability and unit economics. - Optimise product assortment, category mix, SKU productivity, availability, and selection. - Develop pricing strategies and promotional frameworks. - Build strategic relationships with FMCG brands, manufacturers, and distributors. - Leverage market intelligence, customer behaviour, competitive analysis, and data-driven insights. - Collaborate with sales, supply chain, procurement, finance, marketing, and technology teams to deliver category objectives. - Lead, mentor, and develop category management teams. Ideal Candidate Profile: - Graduate or postgraduate degree from an IIT or another reputed top-tier institution. - An MBA from a premier business school is an added advantage. - 7 - 14 years of total professional experience. - Prior experience at McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, or Boston Consulting Group (BCG). - Demonstrable consulting exposure to grocery, FMCG, staples, retail, consumer businesses, or marketplace-related engagements. - Current or recent experience in a senior category management, category strategy, commercial, or business leadership role within FMCG, grocery, food, retail, e-commerce, or B2B commerce. Mandatory Selection Criteria: - Experience: Minimum 7 years and maximum 14 years of total experience. - Education: IIT or another reputed top-tier educational background. - Consulting: Previous experience at McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, including hands-on involvement in relevant grocery, FMCG, retail, consumer, or marketplace engagements. - Industry experience: Current or recent senior-level category management or category strategy experience in FMCG, grocery, food, or staples. - Commercial expertise: Demonstrated understanding of category economics, pricing, margins, assortment, supplier management, and business performance. - Business impact: Evidence of translating strategy into measurable commercial and operational outcomes. - Location: Willingness to work from Bangalore. What Makes This Opportunity Exciting?: - Opportunity to shape and scale important categories in India's evolving B2B grocery ecosystem. - Ownership of strategic and commercial initiatives with direct business impact. - Exposure to a technology-led business at the intersection of FMCG, retail, and supply chain. - Opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and drive category transformation at scale.