Category Manager

Client - One of the Top Players in the Logistics Space

Role Overview

The Manager – Category Operations will lead and scale day-to-day operations for the HSC business across multiple categories (Intercity - PTL & FTL, Intracity - 9ft, 10ft, 14ft, 17ft, etc.) for Chennai city.

The role demands strong execution capabilities, people leadership, and the ability to translate business vision into operational excellence. The ideal candidate is someone who has managed multi-category operations in a marketplace business, has managed high-performing teams, is comfortable with data, and, most importantly, understands ground realities well.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operations Management

Drive day-to-day operations across business verticals with strong execution discipline.

Plan supply for projected demand and ensure quality and operational standards.

Allocate and manage city teams for on ground operational execution.

2. SOPs, GTMs & Process Excellence

Support in Implementing SOPs and GTM execution for new categories and process rollouts.

Identify operational inefficiencies and drive improvements in partnership with Product, Analytics, and Central teams.

Ensure adherence to standards around quality, turnaround times, and user experience.

3. Business & Category Leadership

Lead geographic and category expansion by collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders.

Manage P&L for assigned categories along with other business co-owners.

Build and execute strategic objectives.

4. Market Intelligence & Strategy

Track market trends around pricing, competition, and service quality to define short to medium( 1 day to 6 m) term strategies

Bring a strong eye for detail to understand micro-market nuances and routes, and tailor strategies accordingly for growth and customer experience.

5. Escalation & Risk Management

Enable teams to handle escalations with excellence and discipline, identify recurring patterns, and drive long-term structural fixes.

Ensure effective governance mechanisms for city operations.

6. Vision & Roadmap

Create a clear operational vision and detailed roadmap for business excellence.

Influence and lead multi-city teams through structured planning, communication, and performance management.

Skills & Competencies

Must-Have

fluent with Tamil language

Deep on-ground bias with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude and the willingness to go to the depth to uncover and address real issues.

Ability to manage a team of Assistant Managers and team below, prior experience handling a team is must

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence both leadership and ground teams.

High comfort in using data and ground intelligence for decision-making.

Ability to establish SOP's and processes to streamline operations.

Good-to-Have

Experience in logistics, mobility, supply chain, or marketplace operations.

Exposure to category management roles involving both strategy and execution.

Ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple stakeholders.