About Us 

At Decathlon Sports India, our purpose is to "Bringing people together through sport making well-being accessible for all". We believe the way to achieve this is by transforming digitally and creating a WOW experience for our users through a seamless omni journey both inside our stores and online through our website and shopping App. We are undergoing a strategic transition in our business model to capitalize on this changing behavior and grow our digital business by 3X in the coming 2 years. 

Role Overview 

As a Digital Category Leader, you will play a critical role by overseeing the strategic management and optimization of our core product categories. Reporting directly to leadership, you will lead a specialized team managing the Outdoor and Federated sports clusters, specifically overseeing Hiking, Water Sports, Trek/Camp/Wildlife/Winter, and Federated Sports. 

You are taking the helm of a highly successful portfolio with the explicit mandate to scale this to 3x by 2030. This position requires a deep understanding of consumer behavior, market trends, and the competitive landscape to drive revenue growth and enhance customer experience within assigned product categories. As a D2C category leader, you will partner heavily with internal Country Sport Teams, supply chain, and retail operations to bring our sports to life. You will own the P&L, conversion, pricing & offers, assortment strategy, and profitability across all digital channels directly or functionally for some shared metrics with the ecosystem. 

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) 

As the business pilot for your category, your success will be measured by the following targets: 

Objective 1: Accelerate Category Growth & Profitability 

• Key Result: Achieve target E-Commerce Turnover & Turnover growth. 
• Key Result: Maintain strictly piloted P&L responsibility and Profitability margins. 

 Objective 2: Drive Omni-Channel Customer Experience 

•  Key Result: Increase the Conversion Rate on the mobile app and web platforms. 
•  Key Result: Elevate overall category experience to meet target Net Promoter Score (NPS). 

Objective 3: Content & CX management & Assortment/Input Metrics 

•  Key Result: Improve CX and PDP experience for your customers/users for the category 
•  Key Result: Successfully launch and scale new internal product lines with target sell-through rates.  
• Key Result: Improve availability and lead time working with the Logistics wing 

Job Location: Decathlon Anubhava, Bengaluru.

Way Of Working: 4 days a week form office and 1 day from home

Key Responsibilities 

Develop, enrich, and take care of human capital 

• Embody and bring to life the Purpose, Values, the 8 human fundamentals within the team 
• Define a target human organization that is suited to the current and future challenges of my activity Recruit and onboard complementary talents, both internal and external, without compromising on our essential criteria 
•  Create conditions that ensure the well-being of myself and my teammates 
• Lead and implement our management scheme to foster responsibility and autonomy in service of both collective and individual value creation 
•  Manage performance and take necessary actions to achieve objectives 
• Animate the continuous development of my teammates' current and future skills to sustain our performance and support 

•  Ensure compliance with legal and contractual obligations and the company's code of conduct
• Manage compensation in alignment with internal policy 
•  Create and foster an environment that encourages open dialogue with all stakeholders 

People & Team Management 

• Lead Team Recruitment and Management to build a high-performing category pod. 
•  Drive Teammate Skills and Career Development through active mentorship. 
•  Ensure effective Delegation and Decision Making within the team structure. 
•  Conduct regular Performance Evaluation for Team members. 

Strategy & Business Piloting 

• Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies aligned with overall business goals, considering market trends, customer preferences, and competitive analysis. 
•  Develop and execute strategies to drive online sales growth, enhance customer experience, and improve conversion rates. 
•  Lead proactive business planning and own the category online business case along with business finance and program teams. 
•  Execute PNL + Business Piloting to ensure sustainable category growth. 

Assortment & Product Lifecycle Management 

• Curate and manage product assortments within assigned categories, ensuring a balanced mix of products that meets customer demands and aligns with brand positioning closely working the sport teams. 
• Monitor and optimize the entire product lifecycle, from pricing and promotions to inventory management. 
•  Set competitive commercial strategies, monitor commercial trends, and optimize margins to achieve revenue and profitability targets. 

Cross-Functional Leadership (D2C Focus) 

•  Work closely with Country Sport Teams to optimize the offer, develop the commercial policy to address user needs, and successfully launch new products and promotions. 
•  Collaborate with the Sales Side and Marketing Team to plan and implement effective online marketing campaigns, search engine optimization (SEO), and SEM detailing. 
•  Work closely with the Country Customer Service Team to understand customer sentiments and address customer journey grievances. 
•  Work closely with the ecosystems of Logistics, Lastmile, Retail, Tech and Product to federate your sport growth vs the Platform growth. 

Performance Analysis & Market Research 

•  Monitor and analyze website traffic, sales data, and customer behavior to identify trends and opportunities for improvement. 
•  Conduct regular market research and competitive analysis to understand industry trends, benchmark against competitors, and identify gaps or opportunities within the category. 
•  Utilize category analytics and track input metrics to steer daily business operations. 

Qualifications 

• Cultural Fit: Be a sports enthusiast at heart aligned to contributing to the purpose of the company and living the values and culture of the company on a daily basis. (NON NEGOTIABLE CRITERIA) 
•  Experience: 8-12 Years of experience in category management (Pref. in Digital), strictly within the D2C or ecommerce sector. Proven track record of scaling high-volume categories (₹100 Cr+). 
•  Education: Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field; a Master's degree is preferred.
•  Analytical Skills: Proficient analytical skills, with a strong ability in data analysis and market research to make data-driven decisions. 
•  Communication: Outstanding communication is essential to effectively manage stakeholder communication and articulate category strategies to senior management. 
•  D2C Acumen: In-depth knowledge of ecommerce platforms, Omni-retail operations, and the ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.