Category Manager – Skincare Brands

Company:

IFC Ventures Location:

Mumbai Experience:

Minimum 4+ years Industry:

FMCG / Beauty / Skincare / Cosmetics / Personal Care Department:

Category Management / Brand Management / Marketing & Sales Strategy Employment:

Full-Time

Job Description

IFC Ventures is rapidly expanding its portfolio of modern skincare, haircare, and cosmetics brands

across India. We are looking for a highly driven and analytical

Category Manager – Skincare Brands

to lead category development, portfolio expansion, pricing, channel strategies, and GTM execution across retail, modern trade, e-commerce, and D2C channels. This role requires deep knowledge of

skincare products, category trends, consumer insights, competition analytics, pricing strategy, merchandising, product development, and marketing planning

within the

beauty & personal care

segment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Strategy & Growth Build and execute the

category strategy

for skincare, face care, acne care, moisturizers, and cosmetics. Identify

category gaps, high-growth segments, pricing opportunities , and new product development ideas. Develop annual

category growth plans , revenue targets, and profitability matrices.

2. Product Portfolio & Brand Development Lead

product launches , SKU planning, lifecycle management, and portfolio optimization. Work closely with R&D, packaging, and design teams on formulation inputs, ingredient benchmarking, and trend analysis. Define

claims, positioning, USPs, and brand messaging

for new skincare products.

3. Consumer Insights & Market Research Analyse

consumer behaviour , buying patterns, skin concerns, and trend shifts in the beauty & personal care market. Conduct market studies, focus groups, competitive benchmarking, and price-value mapping. Track emerging global skincare trends (acne care, barrier repair, serums, SPF, active-based skincare).

4. Pricing, Margins & P&L Ownership Define

pricing, margins, retailer slabs, and profitability structures

for the skincare category. Manage

category P&L , forecasting, contribution analysis, and SKU-level profitability. Develop pricing ladders aligned with brand positioning and competition.

5. Channel Strategy (MT, GT, E-commerce, D2C) Build customized strategies for

Modern Trade, General Trade, E-commerce, Quick Commerce, Pharmacies , and D2C. Evaluate channel performance, shelf share, online visibility, and pricing competitiveness. Drive cross-channel brand consistency, portfolio activation, and category presence.

6. Merchandising, Visibility & Promotion Planning Plan in-store

merchandising, planograms, visibility assets, displays, testers , and sampling initiatives. Collaborate with sales teams to develop

trade promotions, discounts, offers, and visibility budgets . Evaluate ROI on campaigns, visibility spends, and promotional effectiveness.

7. Data Analytics & Performance Tracking Monitor sales performance, market share, competition movement, and category KPIs. Develop dashboards for

sell-in, sell-out, productivity, profitability , and inventory health. Track NPD performance, rate of sale, seasonality trends, and lifecycle decisions.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Marketing, Sales, SCM, Finance, R&D, and Creative teams. Coordinate GTM planning, launch timelines, demand forecasting, and inventory alignment. Support Modern Trade, E-commerce, and GT teams with category insights and product training.

Required Skills & Competencies

4+ years of experience

in Category Management, Brand Management, Product Management, or Marketing within

FMCG / Beauty / Skincare / Cosmetics / Personal Care

industries. Strong understanding of

skincare categories

(moisturizers, serums, acne care, SPFs, cleansers). Excellent analytical, commercial, and strategic planning skills. Deep experience in

pricing, portfolio management, product lifecycle, and GTM execution . Ability to work with cross-functional teams and handle multiple brand portfolios. Strong communication, negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills. Proficiency in

Excel, analytics tools, forecasting, and data interpretation .

Preferred Experience

Prior experience managing skincare or cosmetic brands. Exposure to

Modern Trade, E-com marketplaces (Amazon, Nykaa), Quick Commerce (Blinkit, Zepto)

and D2C. Strong knowledge of ingredients, formulations, and global beauty trends. Experience with P&L ownership and category profitability.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Management, or related field. MBA preferred but not mandatory.

Why Join IFC Ventures?

Fast-growing portfolio of premium

skincare & beauty brands, food, lifestyle & wellness products . Opportunity to build and scale new categories from scratch. High-growth environment with strong entrepreneurial culture. Work closely with leadership on brand strategy and category expansion.