Role Overview
The Category Lead will act as the business owner for the category, responsible for driving growth,
profitability, assortment strategy, pricing, inventory efficiency, customer experience, and new product
development across channels. The role requires end-to-end ownership of category P&L and a strong
balance of commercial, analytical, and fashion-oriented decision-making.
P&L and Business Ownership
- Full ownership of category P&L: revenue, margins, inventory turns and working capital.
- Drive top-line growth and bottom-line profitability across all channels (online, offline, home).
New Product Development
- Drive end-to-end new product development aligned with consumer trends and business goals.
- Identify market opportunities and launch trend-forward collections.
- Collaborate with design, sourcing, vendors, and marketing teams to drive product innovation.
- Translate consumer insights into commercially successful products with strong speed-to-market
execution.
- Ensure new launches deliver on sales, margins, customer adoption, and brand differentiation.
Strategic Category Management
- Build and execute the category growth roadmap.
- Lead assortment planning: width, depth, OTB, category gaps, and range rationalization.
- Define the right mix of core vs. fashion, trend-led vs. evergreen.
Buying & Merchandising
- Lead seasonal buying across geographies and channels.
- Partner with vendors and in-house design teams to drive trend-forward innovation.
- Reorder high-performing styles and ensure sufficient stock (DOH) on bestsellers.
Launches & Channel Execution
- Plan successful collection launches with targeted store assortments.
- Collaborate with Marketing, VM, and Training teams to drive GTM success.
- Avoid over-spread by tailoring assortments by store type, geography, and consumer profile.
Daily Trade & Lifecycle Management
- Monitor ROS and manage the product lifecycle: launches, in-season moves, and exits.
- Optimize store and warehouse distribution; identify slow movers and take timely actions.
- Recommend data-led product pricing and discounting strategies.
- Conduct product trainings for store teams to boost conversions and engagement.
Margins, Inventory & Quality Control
- Own and manage product costing to deliver healthy margins.
- Maintain inventory discipline with strong turns and minimal ageing.
- Uphold the Lenskart quality promise—reduce returns and NPS detractors by ensuring consistent
product quality.
Qualifications:
- 7+ years of relevant experience in category management, buying, or merchandising. Fashion
industry experience preferred.
- Strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of consumer trends and market insights.
- Proven track record in P&L ownership and scaling categories.
- High ownership mindset; collaborative and impact oriented.
- Data-driven, detail-oriented, and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
