Category Planning & Allocation Manager

Role & Responsibilities : Team Leadership & Strategy Lead, develop, and manage a team covering both Category Optimization and Product Allocation functions. Define departmental strategies and set annual objectives aligned with company goals. Establish workflows, review calendars, and category reset timelines to ensure process consistency and timeliness. Category Optimization Oversee SKU-level analysis, category performance reviews, and product mix adjustments to improve productivity. Drive category resets based on performance, trends, and business direction. Ensure SKU rationalization efforts maintain balance between breadth of offer and efficiency. Allocation Management Develop store clustering and allocation rules to ensure optimal stock delivery across the network. Monitor and guide allocation strategies for new product launches, seasonal changes, and replenishments. Coordinate with Purchasing, Supply Chain, Inventory Planning, Merchandising, Retail operations, and Warehouse operation to ensure end-to-end stock flow efficiency. Reporting, Tools & Automation Oversee weekly and monthly reporting on category and allocation KPIs. Identify areas for automation and lead improvements in templates, dashboards, and tools used for planning. Ensure reporting is accurate, timely, and actionable for business users. Cross-functional Collaboration Work closely with Purchasing, Inventory Planning, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Operations, and IT teams to align strategies and execution. Act as a key voice in assortment discussions, product launch planning, and store execution meetings. Requirements : Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, Statistics, Supply Chain or a related field. 8+ years of experience in retail category management, allocation or merchandising. Minimum 3 years in a leadership or managerial role, preferably in a multi-store retail environment. Strong analytical and planning skills, with experience using Excel and BI tools (Power BI, Looker, Tableau, etc.) Familiarity with assortment planning, allocation systems and retail store operations.

#J-18808-Ljbffr