Category Planning Manager – Beauty & Personal Care

About Clinikally and Role Overview

Clinikally is innovating personalized skincare through a comprehensive digital health and e-commerce platform, linking consumers to dermatologists, customized treatment plans, and carefully selected skincare and wellness products. As the company grows its retail and commerce footprint, it seeks a skilled Category Planning Manager to spearhead sales strategy, inventory management, assortment planning, demand forecasting, and overall business development across diverse brands and sales channels.

In this role, you will be accountable for planning sales and demand, optimizing inventory, managing assortment and merchandising, and driving retail and online channel business results. Collaboration with Categories, Brand Partnerships, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, Finance, and Store teams is essential to ensure product availability in optimal quantities at the right times, maintain healthy inventory status, and foster sustainable growth. Additionally, you will play a vital part in developing and expanding Clinikally Experience Centres (CECs), handling assortment selections, inventory needs, new store launch preparations, ongoing performance assessment, and expansion planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop detailed sales projections at category, brand, SKU, channel, and store levels considering historical sales, seasonality, customer preferences, product launches, and promotions.
• Create and update demand plans on weekly, monthly, and quarterly bases aligned with business goals.
• Detect growth prospects and anticipate demand challenges while monitoring actual versus planned performance and advising corrective measures.
• Track and ensure healthy inventory metrics including stock cover, aging, stock-outs, excess and slow-moving items; maintain optimal stock across categories, brands, channels, and stores.
• Support replenishment planning by analyzing sales velocity, lead times, and business focus; recommend actions to mitigate inventory risks and boost inventory efficiency.
• Manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning by suggesting purchase quantities in line with sales trends, inventory levels, lead times, promotions, and strategic initiatives; liaise with category, buying, supply chain, and brand teams to align purchasing and replenishment.
• Conduct assortment analysis to identify gaps and opportunities, assist in decision-making related to new brands, launches, category expansions, and store-specific needs; evaluate product productivity, sell-through rates, margins, availability, and customer demand.
• Collaborate with category and brand teams to improve product assortment quality, visibility, and conversion rates.
• Monitor brand and category performance by tracking sales, margins, sell-through, stock status, and target attainment; review deviations from plans and provide actionable suggestions to enhance growth and profitability.
• Plan and support operations of Clinikally Experience Centres including assortment, inventory needs, launch readiness, performance monitoring, and network expansion.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to guarantee smooth new store openings and sustained performance improvements.

Location

The position is based in Sector 44, Gurgaon.