Category Head – Mobile Phones
Location: Dubai, UAE
Department: Mobility / Product Management
Native Arabic speaker with fluent English (written and spoken) is mandatory due to the nature of customer, partner, vendor, and commercial engagements across the GCC.
Role Purpose
The Category Head – Mobile Phones is responsible for driving the overall business performance and profitability of the assigned mobile phone portfolio across the GCC. This role owns the complete category lifecycle, including business planning, P&L management, vendor relationship management, product portfolio strategy, pricing, channel development, demand planning, inventory management, and go-to-market execution.
The successful candidate will work closely with global mobile phone brands, distributors, retailers, telecom operators, e-commerce partners, and internal cross-functional teams to maximize revenue, market share, and profitability.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the complete Profit & Loss (P&L) for the Mobile Phones category and deliver revenue, profitability, and market share targets.
- Develop and execute annual business plans, sales strategies, and category growth initiatives.
- Monitor business performance and implement corrective actions to achieve sales, margin, and inventory objectives.
- Build and maintain strategic relationships with OEMs and mobile phone manufacturers.
- Lead commercial negotiations, including pricing, rebates, marketing development funds (MDF), promotional budgets, and business agreements.
- Define the product portfolio and roadmap based on market demand, customer requirements, and competitive analysis.
- Manage the complete product lifecycle, including product launches, pricing, inventory planning, and end-of-life management.
- Identify opportunities for new product introductions while rationalizing underperforming SKUs.
- Ensure competitive positioning of the product portfolio through effective pricing and market intelligence.
- Partner with Sales teams to achieve category revenue and profitability targets across retail, telecom operators, e-commerce, enterprise, and reseller channels.
- Develop and execute channel growth strategies to expand market reach and increase sales.
- Monitor competitor activities, pricing, and market trends to recommend tactical business actions.
- Collaborate with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Operations teams to ensure product availability, efficient inventory management, and successful product launches.
- Prepare regular business reviews, sales forecasts, and performance reports for senior management and vendor partners.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related discipline (MBA preferred).
- 8–12 years of experience in Product Management, Category Management, or Business Management within the IT, Consumer Electronics, Mobile Devices, or Telecommunications industry.
- Proven experience managing mobile phone brands within an OEM or IT distribution environment.
- Strong understanding of the GCC distribution ecosystem, including retailers, telecom operators, e-commerce, and channel partners.
- Demonstrated experience in vendor management, commercial negotiations, and P&L ownership.
- Strong analytical, financial, forecasting, and business planning skills.
- Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management abilities.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with ERP and CRM systems is preferred.
