Job Description

Category Manager – Dubai

Agency Recruitment – This is a headhunter-managed role on behalf of our client.

Location: Dubai, UAE

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Mechan

Reports To: Head of Buyer

Salary Package: AED (negotiable)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Category Manager to join our team in Dubai. This role owns category planning, product assortment, buying direction, new product launch cadence, in-store display execution, product marketing, inventory control, and product lifecycle management. The ideal candidate has strong Middle East retail merchandising experience, solid data analysis skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Develop category plans and product assortments through data analysis, internal and external product research, and industry trend analysis.

2. Complete two category planning cycles each year; define buying direction, new product launch rhythm, and implementation of in-store display.

3. Analyze UAE consumer preferences and overall trends from multiple dimensions; deeply explore user scenarios and needs to identify demand breakthrough points.

4. Explore the UAE retail market; propose new product development requirements for missing categories to enhance overall brand competitiveness.

5. Formulate and execute annual, quarterly, and monthly new product budget plans based on historical sales performance and market forecasts.

6. Responsible for full-category product selection throughout the year based on historical best/slow sellers and end-to-end merchandise structure.

7. Track new product arrival timing and logistics status; develop a planned launch cadence to continuously bring freshness to customers.

8. Develop and implement product marketing strategies; design and produce new product props/materials for product promotion.

9. Control product costs and inventory turnover; monitor in-season/current stock inventory and sales in real time; adjust ordering rhythm as needed to ensure inventory stability.

10. Establish product evaluation mechanisms and manage product lifecycle; conduct regular business analysis and diagnosis; identify key issues and propose improvement actions, including but not limited to category/SKU best/slow sellers, holiday sales, and store operations analysis.

11. Continuously follow up on product sales; analyze sales performance, product strengths, and areas for improvement.

Requirements

1. Bachelor's degree or above; no major restriction.

2. 5+ years of experience in fast-fashion retail chain companies.

3. Familiar with retail chain business processes; good understanding of operational workflows in logistics, operations, and related departments.

4. Solid statistical and data analysis skills.

5. Proficient in ERP systems and office software including WPS, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

6. Responsible; aligned with company culture; strong team spirit.

7. Strong communication and coordination skills; planning, execution, pressure resistance, and task breakdown abilities.

8. Must currently be based in Dubai with valid UAE work authorization.

9. Middle East local retail merchandising experience is required. Arabic is a plus.

Mandatory Screening Criteria (Hard Knockouts)

Any candidate who does not meet any one of the following will be disqualified:

- Employer scale: Past employer operated ≥50 offline brick-and-mortar stores; 100+ stores preferred.

- Category hands-on experience: Independently responsible for at least one of the following categories: apparel accessories & bags (necklaces, earrings, small bags, hair ties...etc) or home goods (cups, umbrellas, 3C...etc ).

- Merchandise management volume: Managed ≥1,000 SKUs; responsible for category annual sales ≥ AED 10 million.

- Experience: 5+ years of hands-on end-to-end merchandise management.

- Language: English as daily working language; able to independently run cross-department meetings, business emails, and communicate with foreign teams without barriers.

- Travel: based in Dubai; willing to return to China twice a year for product selection, each trip lasting 1–2 months; must fully accept this arrangement.

- Role fit: Adapt to a fast-paced work environment; excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.