Assistant Manager.Marketing. Aster Arabia

Category Management

Build and execute category strategies tailored to customer demographics and store profile. Review category performance weekly and recommend actions to improve sales and profitability; introduce new ranges based on trends; phase out slow-moving and underperforming products. Analyse customer buying behaviour, market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities and optimise product assortments.

Merchandise Planning

• Create annual/seasonal plans, forecast demand and inventory needs
• Allocate stock across stores and maintain optimal product mix while minimizing excess inventory
• Ensure the right product mix is maintained in every store

Inventory Management

• Monitor inventory health across all categories, improve turn and sell through
• Reduce aged/obsolete stock and develop action plans for slow-moving stock
• Manage full product life cycles and partner with vendors on replenishment
• Optimise inventory investment and working capital while maximising stock productivity and return on inventory

Sales & Performance Analysis

Track sales, units, ASP, gross profit/margin, sell-through, stock turn, weeks of cover and category contribution; identify growth opportunities and produce regular performance reports.

Visual Merchandising

• Set merchandising guidelines and planograms
• Ensure consistent in-store presentation and optimise display space by performance
• Conduct regular store visits and merchandising audits

Product & Range Management

• Build balanced assortments across price points and brands
• Manage launches and seasonal collections and recommend exits
• Secure exclusive ranges with suppliers

Pricing & Promotions

Recommend pricing and markdown strategies, evaluate promotional effectiveness, and support marketing with the right product selection while protecting margin.

Vendor & Supplier Management

Build supplier relationships, participate in buying meetings, negotiate promotional/marketing support, and review supplier performance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Store Managers, Vendor Partners, and IT/BI teams to deliver commercial goals.

Key Performance Indicators

Category sales growth, gross profit %, inventory turnover, sell-through %, stock availability, weeks of cover, aged inventory reduction, category contribution, ASP, product mix performance, planogram compliance, promotional sales performance, new product launch success, and vendor funding achievement.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial/analytical mindset
• Merchandising and category management expertise
• Advanced Excel and Power BI skills
• Forecasting and inventory planning ability
• Strong communication, negotiation and supplier management
• High attention to detail
• Project management and cross-functional influence

Experience Required

• 5 years in retail merchandising, planning or category management
• Strong commercial, analytical mindset
• Ideally within Optical, Fashion, Beauty, or Specialty Retail
• Proven multi-store, multi-category management
• ERP (e.g. Microsoft Dynamics 365) and BI tool proficiency (e.g. Power BI)

About Aster DM Healthcare Limited

Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in multiple GCC states and is an emerging healthcare player in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary healthcare through our hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. We have over 20,000 plus dedicated employees across the geographies that we are present in, delivering a simple yet strong promise to our different stakeholders: "We'll treat you well." We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC countries through our differentiated healthcare services across the "Aster", "Medcare" and "Access" brands.