Manager, DTC Category Management

Manager, DTC Category Management

At SharkNinja, we’re building a best-in-class Direct-to-Consumer business that puts the consumer at the center and moves at speed. We’re looking for a commercially driven Manager, DTC Category Management to own and grow a product category as a business, with full accountability for commercial performance, profitability, and demand planning.

This role is responsible for assortment strategy, pricing, forecasting, inventory health, and category profitability across the full commercial lifecycle. You will operate as an end-to-end business owner, partnering closely with Product, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Finance to define commercial strategies, make data-driven decisions, and deliver sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Own Category Performance

• Own and deliver revenue, margin, and inventory targets for your assigned DTC category.
• Manage the category as a business with accountability for P&L performance and commercial outcomes.
• Identify risks and opportunities early and take decisive action to improve category performance.
• Lead regular business reviews focused on commercial performance, profitability, and growth opportunities.
  
  

Assortment Strategy & Category Planning

• Define and evolve a role-based assortment strategy (traffic drivers, margin drivers, innovation, and exit strategy).
• Evaluate SKU productivity and make recommendations on portfolio optimization, new launches, and discontinuations.
• Partner cross-functionally to shape category plans grounded in market demand, competitive dynamics, and commercial opportunity.
• Drive category growth through assortment expansion, portfolio optimization, and strategic product decisions.
  
  

Forecasting & Inventory Ownership

• Own demand forecasting for the category, using sales trends, promotional plans, inventory data, and commercial judgment.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Planning teams to ensure inventory availability, optimize stock levels, and mitigate inventory risk.
• Balance growth with inventory health by managing forecast accuracy, weeks of supply, inventory turns, and stock risk.
• Build forecasting assumptions and adjust demand plans proactively based on business performance.
  
  

Pricing & Promotional Strategy

• Develop and execute pricing strategies aligned with revenue, margin, and competitive positioning objectives.
• Lead promotional planning and evaluate promotional effectiveness through profitability and ROI analysis.
• Make commercial trade-off decisions between revenue growth, margin performance, and inventory objectives.
• Continuously optimize pricing and promotional strategies based on business results and market conditions.
  
  

Commercial Planning & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Marketing, Product, Finance, and Supply Chain teams to develop annual and seasonal commercial plans.
• Align category priorities across functions to ensure successful product launches, promotional execution, and inventory readiness.
• Influence stakeholders through data-driven recommendations and strong commercial reasoning.
• Support long-term category planning through scenario analysis, budgeting, and demand planning.
  
  

Data-Driven Commercial Decision Making

• Translate business data into clear commercial actions and strategic decisions.
• Leverage insights across sales, margin, inventory, pricing performance, forecast accuracy, and category profitability to drive business outcomes.
• Build and communicate a strong point of view on category performance and commercial priorities.
• Use analytical rigor to identify growth opportunities, optimize profitability, and improve operational performance.
  
  
  

What Good Looks Like

• Operates as the General Manager of a category, not just a functional owner.
• Demonstrates strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Makes fast, clear decisions with imperfect information.
• Balances revenue, margin, inventory, and demand planning priorities effectively.
• Takes ownership of business results and acts proactively to improve performance.
• Communicates with clarity, conviction, and a focus on outcomes.
  
  
  

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Commercial Planning, Trade Marketing, Revenue Management, or Omnichannel Retail.
• Proven experience owning or directly influencing category P&L, pricing strategy, promotional planning, and demand forecasting.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including margin management, inventory planning, and profitability analysis.
• Experience building or owning forecasts and making demand planning decisions.
• Highly analytical with the ability to translate data into actionable commercial insights.
• Experience operating in retail, consumer products, FMCG, or omnichannel commercial environments.
  
  

Preferred Experience

• Direct ownership of a category P&L and commercial decision-making.
• Experience in pricing, promotional strategy, forecasting, and inventory planning.
• Experience managing categories in eCommerce environments (1P or 3P) such as retailer.com, marketplaces, or omnichannel retail businesses.
• Background in consumer products, FMCG, hard goods, or retail category management.
• Experience managing categories across omnichannel or direct-to-consumer environments.