Category Manager – Dairy

Role: Category Manager – Dairy

Location: Sector 67, Gurugram

Experience: 4–8 Years

About: Fairdeal.Market

Fairdeal.Market is a rapidly growing B2B quick commerce company offering a wide range of FMCG products with delivery times as short as 60 minutes. Our mission is to build India's most efficient retail supply chain by enabling retailers to access the right products at the right time through a technology- driven commerce ecosystem. As we continue to our category portfolio, we are looking for an experienced Category Manager – Dairy who can drive category growth, supplier partnerships, assortment planning, and profitability across the Dairy business.

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly commercial and execution-oriented Category Manager – Dairy to own the end-to-end performance of the Dairy category. This role will be responsible for category strategy, supplier management, assortment planning, procurement, pricing, inventory management, and

business growth. The ideal candidate should have strong experience in Dairy buying, merchandising, category management, or procurement within FMCG, retail, e-commerce, or quick commerce businesses. The successful candidate will play a critical role in building supplier partnerships, driving

category revenue, improving margins, and ensuring best-in-class product availability for retailers.

Key Responsibilities

A. Category Development & Assortment Strategy

Own and grow the Dairy category across milk, curd, paneer, butter, cheese, ghee, dairy beverages,

and value-added dairy products category assortment by identifying high-demand SKUs, emerging brands, and regional

opportunities

Develop category growth plans aligned with overall business objectives

Drive AOV growth and increase category contribution across retailer orders

Continuously optimize assortment based on sales trends, customer demand, and market insights

B. Revenue Growth & Category Planning

Develop and execute short-term and long-term category growth plans

Lead annual business planning and monthly category reviews

Own category GMV, revenue, margins, and profitability targets

Build monthly category and brand-level performance plans and track actuals against targets

Drive category growth through assortment expansion, pricing strategies, and supplier partnerships

C. Supplier Management & Procurement

Build and manage relationships with national, regional, and local dairy brands and manufacturers

Lead commercial negotiations including pricing, trade terms, schemes, rebates, and payment terms

Secure favorable procurement terms while ensuring product availability

Develop long-term strategic partnerships with key dairy suppliers

Ensure procurement efficiency and cost optimization across the category

D. Inventory & Supply Chain Management

Maintain optimal inventory levels across all dark stores

Ensure high fill rates and product availability across key SKUs

Work closely with Supply Chain and Procurement teams to manage replenishment planning

Minimize inventory expiry, wastage, and stock-outs, especially for short shelf-life dairy products

Monitor inventory health, ageing, and stock rotation to maximize freshness and profitability

E. Customer & Market Insights

Analyze customer buying behavior, demand trends, and retailer preferences

Identify opportunities to improve customer acquisition, retention, and repeat purchases

Leverage customer feedback to improve assortment and product availability

Track competitor activities, market pricing, and category trends

Champion a customer-first approach in all category decisions

F. Sales & Marketing Collaboration

Develop quarterly promotional and activation calendars for the Dairy category

Collaborate with Sales and Marketing teams to drive category visibility and growth

Work with supplier partners on joint business plans and promotional campaigns

Drive monetization opportunities through brand-funded activities and trade promotions

Ensure effective execution of category campaigns across channels

G. Analytics & Business Performance

Monitor category KPIs including GMV, margin, fill rate, inventory turns, stock-outs, and assortment

productivity

Conduct regular category performance reviews and identify growth opportunities

Build data-driven recommendations to improve category profitability

Analyze SKU-level and brand-level performance to optimize category mix

Support leadership with category insights and strategic recommendations

What We’re Looking For

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Supply Chain, or related field

4–8 years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising, Procurement, or FMCG

Sales

Strong experience managing Dairy, Fresh Foods, Dairy Products, or related FMCG categories

Proven track record of supplier negotiations and category growth

Strong analytical and commercial acumen

Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced business environment

Good to Have

Experience in Quick Commerce, E-commerce, Retail, FMCG Distribution, or B2B Commerce

Existing relationships with Dairy manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers

Understanding of cold-chain supply chain operations

Experience managing short shelf-life products

Familiarity with inventory planning and demand forecasting systems

Exposure to category analytics and business intelligence tools

Key Skills & Attributes

Strong commercial and business acumen

Excellent supplier negotiation skills

Data-driven decision-making mindset

Strong ownership and accountability

Strategic thinking with execution excellence

Customer-centric approach

Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities

Ability to thrive in a high-growth startup environment

Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills

What You’ll Get

Opportunity to own and scale one of the most critical categories in the business

Direct exposure to founders, leadership, and strategic decision-making

High ownership and end-to-end category responsibility

Opportunity to work closely with leading Dairy brands and manufacturers

Fast-paced learning environment with significant growth opportunities

Be part of one of India's fastest-growing B2B quick commerce companies and help build the future

of retail distribution.