Manager – Sourcing & Buying

About Ugaoo Ugaoo is a leading gardening and green-living brand on a mission to make urban India greener. We bring together plants, gardening products, home décor across our D2C, marketplace, quick commerce and retail businesses. Our retail business is growing rapidly, with 20 stores across Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Nashik and Hyderabad. Our stores are evolving into immersive spaces that bring together plants, products, aesthetics and education to create a differentiated customer experience. As we continue to scale, we are building stronger category depth and expanding our retail assortment to create a more complete and inspiring green-living and home experience for our customers.

About The Role We are looking for a hands-on Sourcing & Buying professional to own sourcing and buying across Gardening and Home Decor categories, with a primary focus on gardening and adjacent categories such as pots & planters, gardening accessories, garden décor, garden furniture and other home décor products. This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership across sourcing, product curation, vendor development and merchandising. The role is suited for someone who understands trends, materials and consumer preferences, has strong domestic and international market and vendor connects, and is excited by the opportunity to build categories and create new retail formats from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities Gardening & Home Decor Category Sourcing & Product Development

• Lead end-to-end sourcing across Gardening and Home Decor categories through domestic and international markets.
• Identify new products, materials, vendors and manufacturing capabilities aligned with Ugaoo's brand and customer.
• Develop and manage relationships with domestic, international and local market vendors.
• Work closely with vendors on product development, sampling, customisation, costing and commercialisation.
• Understand product construction, materials and BOMs to evaluate feasibility and cost competitiveness.
• Travel domestically and internationally for market visits, sourcing and vendor development as required.

Trend & Market Intelligence

• Track emerging trends across gardening, outdoor living, and home décor markets in India and globally.
• Translate trends and consumer insights into relevant product and collection opportunities.
• Stay updated on new materials, finishes, techniques and evolving customer preferences. Buying & Merchandising
• Own assortment decisions across new launches, range expansion, continuation and discontinuation of products.
• Analyse product performance, margins, sell-through and inventory ageing to make informed merchandising decisions.
• Build differentiated assortments balancing trend, design, quality, price and commercial viability.

Commercial & Cost Management

• Own product costing and commercial evaluation across the sourcing lifecycle.
• Negotiate pricing, MOQ, payment terms and other commercial aspects with vendors.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimisation while maintaining product quality and design intent.
• Partner with Procurement to ensure commercially viable sourcing and purchase execution. Build Buying & Sourcing Processes
• Create structured templates and processes for the buying and sourcing lifecycle, from product identification to final purchase.
• Establish clear processes for product evaluation, sampling, costing, approvals and vendor handover.
• Work closely with Procurement to ensure smooth transition from sourcing and buying to purchase execution.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve the speed, efficiency and effectiveness of the buying process.

Vendor & International Partner Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international vendors.
• Identify and develop new vendor partnerships across sourcing markets.
• Coordinate with international partners on product development, sampling, costing, specifications and timelines.

Building the Home Format

• Identify opportunities to build new formats, sub-categories and propositions across Gardening and Home Décor.
• Continuously evaluate market gaps and opportunities to strengthen Ugaoo's retail proposition.
• Bring a strong test-and-learn and continuous improvement mindset to category building.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Procurement – sourcing handover, vendor finalisation, commercial negotiations and purchase execution.
• Retail & Merchandising – assortment planning, store requirements, range reviews and product performance.
• Design & Creative – product aesthetics, collections, styling and brand consistency.
• Supply Chain – MOQ, lead times, inventory planning and replenishment feasibility.
• Finance – costing, margins, working capital and commercial viability.
• Marketing & E-commerce – product launches, consumer trends and category storytelling.

Requirements

• 8–10 years of experience in Sourcing / Buying / Buying & Merchandising / Category Management, preferably in Gardening, Home Décor, or Retail.
• Strong experience in domestic and international sourcing.
• Good understanding of gardening products, home décor, materials, product development and vendor ecosystems.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills with an understanding of costing, BOMs, margins and inventory.
• Proven ability to identify, evaluate and develop vendors.
• Strong analytical and merchandising orientation with the ability to take clear continue / improve / discontinue decisions.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

The Ideal Candidate Someone who is curious, commercially sharp and entrepreneurial—a person who doesn't just source what is available but has the instinct to identify what Ugaoo should build next. This is an opportunity for someone who wants to build a category, create new retail propositions and continuously raise the bar on sourcing and buying, rather than simply manage an existing assortment .