Category Manager - Beauty

Role Summary

We're looking for a Category Manager to spearhead and grow talabat's new standalone Beauty vertical. This is a high-impact, entrepreneurial role where you will define the category strategy from the ground up — owning assortment, supplier relationships, pricing, promotions, and commercial performance for beauty across the region.The right candidate brings deep knowledge of the beauty industry (skincare, haircare, cosmetics, fragrance, personal care), a strong commercial mindset, and the drive to build something new in one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in the world.

What's On Your Plate?

Category Ownership

• Lead end-to-end category management for the Beauty vertical, including skincare, cosmetics, haircare, fragrance, and personal care.
• Define and execute the beauty category strategy aligned with talabat's commercial goals and regional consumer trends.
• Monitor and drive category KPIs: sales, gross margin, P&L, conversion, and basket size.

Assortment & Supplier Management

• Curate a compelling and competitive beauty assortment — balancing mass-market, premium, and emerging brands relevant to MENA consumers.
• Identify and onboard local and regional beauty suppliers and brand partners; negotiate commercial terms including pricing, rebates, payment terms, and exclusivities.
• Work closely with regional teams to align on international brand contracts and ensure a consistent portfolio across markets.
• Stay ahead of beauty trends (clean beauty, K-beauty, halal-certified, etc.) and translate them into actionable assortment decisions.

Pricing & Promotions

• Define pricing strategy for the beauty category in line with market benchmarks and competitor positioning.
• Conduct regular market price audits across key beauty players in the region.
• Build and manage the beauty promotions calendar — including seasonal campaigns (Ramadan, gifting seasons, beauty events) and brand-specific activations.
• Analyze promotional effectiveness and continuously optimize based on consumer data and sell-through performance.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Provide input to the Operations team on store flow, product adjacencies, fixtures, and merchandising standards suited to beauty.
• Partner with Marketing to develop compelling beauty campaigns and content that drive awareness and conversion.
• Work with Replenishment on forecasting and inventory management to minimize out-of-stocks and overstock for high-SKU beauty ranges.

What Did We Order?

• 3+ years of experience in category management, buying, or commercial roles within the beauty industry — ideally covering skincare, cosmetics, haircare, or fragrance.
• Experience working with or for beauty retailers, beauty e-commerce platforms, FMCG companies, or beauty brand distributors in an international or regional setting.
• Strong knowledge of the MENA beauty market: consumer preferences, key brands, distribution dynamics, and emerging trends.
• Solid commercial acumen: proficiency in margin calculations, P&L management, promotional ROI analysis, and supplier negotiations.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable with ambiguity and excited to build a new vertical from scratch.
• Highly detail-oriented and structured; able to manage multiple brands and SKUs while keeping the big picture in focus.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across both internal teams and external partners.