Deputy Manager - Product

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
01 Product & Launch Ownership
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Own end-to-end launch strategy and execution readiness across all channels - deciding sequencing, prioritisation, and trade-offs, not just tracking a checklist.
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Sign off on product codification and system readiness ahead of every launch, resolving cross-functional gaps directly with planning and supply chain leads.
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Own system pricing strategy and governance - setting the process, ensuring accuracy across systems and channels, and correcting discrepancies at source.
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Lead dispatch planning conversations with sales and supply teams, negotiating trade-offs between availability, cost, and speed to shelf.
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Own the launch calendar and the internal launch toolkit process, briefing branch and sales leadership directly ahead of every go-live.
02 Business & Inventory Strategy
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Own demand planning inputs and inventory strategy, setting the view the Brand Head takes into leadership reviews.
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Proactively identify inventory risks and opportunities and recommend action - not just flag them, but bring a point of view on what to do.
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Own the performance reporting cadence for the Brand Head, translating channel and sell-through data into a clear narrative and recommendation.
03 Ecommerce & Digital Presence
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Own ecommerce and D2C brand presence strategy across Amazon, Flipkart, and brand.com - content quality, assortment, and conversion, not just listing accuracy.
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Set the competitive benchmarking framework for pricing, assortment, and content, and bring recommendations to the Brand Head rather than raw findings.
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Be the escalation point with the ecommerce team when launches, content, or imagery are at risk of missing timelines.
04 Brand & Retail Execution
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Support the VM Head in driving in-store visibility and display standards - planogram compliance, seasonal changeovers, and store experience - bringing category and brand context to their execution plan.
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Partner with the Marcom Head to plan and deliver BTL assets: POSMs, window displays, standees, catalogues, and retail collateral, contributing category inputs and holding vendors accountable to spec on the ground.
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Support day-to-day vendor and production coordination, including commercial inputs, working alongside the VM and Marcom teams rather than independently.
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Run the store audit process and share findings with the VM Head to inform corrective action plans.
05 Analytics & Business Insights
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Own and maintain the Excel-based tracker architecture for business performance, inventory health, launch readiness, and brand spend.
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Lead analysis of product and launch performance, bringing a clear point of view on what worked, what did not, and why - to the Brand Head, unprompted.
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Own MIS reporting quality and cadence for the Brand Head.
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Co-build QBR and leadership presentation narratives with the Brand Head, not just the supporting data.
06 Cross-functional Leadership
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Drive alignment across sales, marketing, planning, and ecommerce teams on launches and key brand initiatives, resolving conflicts without escalation where possible.
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Own communication of product launches and campaign activity to branch teams across India.
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Identify process gaps across workflows and lead the fix - designing and implementing the improved process, not just flagging it.
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Own day-to-day and commercial management of vendor and agency relationships, including PO governance and invoice resolution.
STAKEHOLDER ECOSYSTEM
Internal
Brand Head – Samsonite India (reporting line) • VM Head • Marcom Head • Sales & branch teams • Supply chain, planning & inventory teams • Finance & commercial teams • Ecommerce & D2C teams • Nasik Factory • Singapore HQ – Product Team

We are looking for an MBA or equivalent who has moved past pure execution and is ready to own outcomes. Someone who treats a deadline as a commitment, a brand standard as non-negotiable, and understands both the commercial side of the business and the brand values that sit behind it.
Experience & Background
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5-7 years of experience in consumer brands - FMCG, fashion, lifestyle, or consumer durables.
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A proven track record of having owned - not just supported - a launch cycle, BTL production cycle, or category P&L input end to end.
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Strong command of data and commercial tracking: PSI, inventory management, pricing, and ecommerce metrics should be second nature, not a learning curve.
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Ecommerce platform experience (Amazon, Flipkart, D2C) from a brand or category management perspective, with the judgement to set strategy, not just execute it.
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Advanced Excel skills for business tracking, analysis, and modelling.
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A genuine understanding of premium brands - how premium is built, protected, and perceived - not just a background in mass or value categories.
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An eye for last-mile detail: someone who notices the misaligned POSM, the wrong pack shot, the off-brand pricing tag before it reaches a store or a customer.