Category Finance Manager

Position - Category Finance Manager

Department - Category

Reporting To - CPO

Key Responsibilities

1. Gross Margin Improvement

• Drive category-level Gross Margin improvement initiatives to achieve AOP gross margin targets.
• Conduct detailed analysis of gross margins across categories, SKUs and channels.
• Identify margin leakage arising from pricing gaps, excessive markdowns, procurement costs, higher discounts and product mix.
• Develop action plans to improve margins through pricing optimization, driving category mix, sourcing improvements and volume leverage.
• Monitor actual GM% against budgets and forecasts and recommend corrective actions on a weekly basis.
• Evaluate profitability of new product launches before go-live and launch.
• Analyze product mix and recommend higher-margin strategies.
• Track margin realization from procurement to final sale and identify gap/ leakage.

2. Pricing Strategy & Price Revision

• Lead periodic pricing reviews across all product categories.
• Develop pricing models considering:

1. Cost increases
2. Competitive / market pricing
3. Demand sensitivity
4. Target gross margins

• Recommend selling price revisions to improve profitability without adversely impacting sales volumes.
• Analyze price elasticity to determine optimal pricing.
• Review impact of price changes on volume, revenue contribution
• Conduct pre- and post-price revision profitability analysis.
• Work closely with merchandising teams to implement pricing changes.
• Ensure timely updates of pricing masters across all online & offline channels.

3. Discount Optimization & Promotion Governance

• Develop and implement discount governance frameworks across all channels.
• Review and deep dive all existing discounts
• Monitor category-wise and store-wise discount percentages.
• Identify unnecessary discounting and recommend corrective actions.
• Establish discount approval matrices and financial thresholds.
• Review customer / store specific discounts.
• Review and deep dive all credit notes issued and recommend corrective actions
• Recommend discount and credit note rationalization initiatives to improve realized margins.

4. Category Profitability Analysis

• Prepare weekly COGS for each category and analyze gross margins
• Present actionable commercial insights on margins to senior management.
• Highlight underperforming / low margin categories / SKUs and recommend turnaround actions.

5. Business Partnering

• Partner closely with Category Teams, supply chain, CX, retail operations and marketing teams
• Challenge commercial decisions using financial analysis.
• Participate in category planning meetings
• Pricing initiatives and robust approval during EOSS, black Friday sales
• Support strategic decisions through financial modelling.
• Advise business teams on profitability implications of promotions, pricing, and assortment changes.

6. Inventory Management

• Monitor ageing inventory and identify products at risk of markdown.
• Recommend inventory liquidation strategies while minimizing margin erosion.
• Support inventory planning to reduce excess stock and improve inventory turns.
• Analyze the financial impact of clearance sales and promotional events.
• Drive initiatives to improve Gross margins and working capital efficiency.

7. Vendor Profitability & Commercial Negotiations

• Analyze supplier / Outsourced factories profitability and commercial performance.
• Review existing vendor rates, rebates, promotional support, and incentives.
• Support procurement and sourcing teams during vendor negotiations by providing financial insights.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction and margin enhancement.
• Evaluate landed costs and sourcing alternatives.
• Evaluate sourcing leverage through volumes keeping in mind working capital efficiency as well

8. Financial Planning & Forecasting

• Prepare weekly COGS at a category level to analyze GM.
• Perform weekly variance analysis against Budgets.
• Develop business case/ financial model for new product launch and margin expansion

10. Controls & Governance

• Ensure adherence and strengthen internal financial controls over pricing, gross margins, discounts and credit notes.
• Review supply chain related commercial contracts from a financial perspective.
• Support statutory and internal audits related to commercial finance.

Qualifications

• Chartered Accountant (CA)
• 2 to 5 years of experience in Commercial Finance, Category Finance, FP&A, or Finance Business Partnering.
• Prior experience in Retail, Fashion, Apparel, Lifestyle, FMCG, or E-commerce is preferred.

Technical Skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Claude
• Financial Modelling
• Pricing Analytics
• Profitability Analysis
• Inventory Analytics

Behavioral Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen with a profitability mindset
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Strong business partnering capabilities
• Data-driven decision-making
• Effective communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced retail environment