Category Manager - Apparel

Description:

Job Title: Category Manager Apparel

Experience: 5 - 6 years

Industry: Apparel / Fashion / Lifestyle

Role Summary:

Own the apparel category end-to-end. This role is responsible for building a profitable, well-edited assortment that balances trend relevance, margin discipline, and inventory health.

The mandate is commercial clarity: right products, right depth, right timing.

Key Responsibilities:

- Own category P&L including revenue, margin, sell-through, and inventory turns.

- Plan seasonal assortments using customer data, trends, and brand direction.

- Define category architecture including price ladders, fabric mix, silhouettes, and core vs novelty split.

- Work with design, sourcing, and production teams to ensure commercial viability.

- Forecast demand and finalize buy quantities with disciplined risk management.

- Track weekly performance and take corrective actions on pricing, replenishment, or liquidation.

- Drive margin improvement through cost control, pricing strategy, and mix optimization.

- Align with marketing and merchandising teams on launches and campaigns.

- Own in-season and end-of-season inventory decisions with full accountability.

Requirements:

- 5 - 6 years of experience as a category manager, merchandiser, or buyer in apparel.

- Strong understanding of apparel economics and consumer demand.

- Proven experience managing large assortments and multiple vendors.

- Strong knowledge of fabrics, construction, costing, and pricing architecture.

- Comfort operating in fast-paced, launch-driven environments.

- Strong analytical capability with Excel or reporting tools.

- Decisive operator with ownership mindset.

Nice to Have:

- Experience with DTC or omnichannel apparel brands.

- Exposure to private label or in-house design categories.

- Ability to manage or mentor junior team members.

What This Role Is Not:

- Not a design-only role.

- Not a planning-only role.

- Not suitable for low-ownership profiles.