RIVR Partners has been mandated by a D2C fashion brand to hire a Category Lead and Category Head.

The role is Mumbai-based; candidates presently in Mumbai or willing to relocate to Mumbai may only need to apply.

Prior experience in Fashion/Apparel/menswear/women's wear is mandatory; any other category experience will be rejected at the recruiter level

Work Overview:

The Category Head will be responsible for driving overall business growth, revenue strategy, and category expansion across online and offline channels. The role will work closely with the founders and leadership team to scale the brand, build strong category businesses, and drive profitable growth across marketplaces, D2C platforms, and retail stores.

This role requires a strong blend of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and execution capability, particularly within consumer brands, e-commerce, or D2C businesses.

Key Responsibilities:

1.Business Strategy & Revenue Growth

- Own overall business P&L and revenue growth across channels.

- Define and execute long-term growth strategy for the brand.

- Identify new opportunitiesfor category expansion, partnerships, and market penetration.

- Build scalable business models for both online and offline channels.

2.Category, Merchandising & Inventory Strategy

- Lead category strategy including product assortment, pricing, inventory planning, inventory management and margin management.

- Drive category growth across apparel and adjacent lifestyle categories.

- Collaborate with design, sourcing, and supply chain teams to ensure strong product market fit.

3. E-commerce & Marketplace Growth

- Drive revenue across marketplaces(Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, etc.) and D2C channels.

- Optimize traffic, conversion, and average order value (AOV).

- Work with marketing teams to align growth, acquisition, and retention strategies.

4. Retail Expansion

- Support and drive offline retail expansion strategy including store rollout, performance tracking, and profitability.

- Ensure strong alignment between online and offline customer experience.

5. Data-Driven Decision Making

- Monitor key metrics such as GMV, contribution margin, inventory turns, CAC, and LTV.

- Use data and analytics to guide pricing, promotion, and category decisions.

6. Leadership & Cross-functional Alignment

- Lead and mentor teams across category management, merchandising, and business operations.

- Work closely with founders and leadership to align business priorities with organizational goals.

- Drive collaboration across product,supply chain, marketing, and retail teams.

Eligibility:

- 10-15+ years of experience in business leadership roles.

- Strong background in D2C, e-commerce, fashion or consumer brands.

- Proven experience managing large P&Ls and scaling consumer businesses.

- Strong analytical mindset and ability to drive decisions using data.