About the Company
Company: Lenskart
About the Role
We are looking for a strategic and execution-driven GM – Sourcing & Merchandising to lead category ownership across product planning, sourcing strategy, supplier ecosystem management, and margin optimization. This role will drive category growth through data-led assortment planning, strong supplier partnerships, disciplined cost and quality governance, and cross-functional collaboration with product, supply chain, logistics, and retail teams. The role also owns the end-to-end lifecycle from supplier onboarding, sample development and approvals, to logistics planning and compliance adherence, ensuring speed, quality, and commercial efficiency in a fast-growing omnichannel environment. This is a leadership position requiring strong commercial acumen, ownership mindset, and the ability to scale sourcing and merchandising practices.
Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Ownership
- Own P&L and category performance across revenue, margin, and inventory health
- Develop and execute assortment and pricing strategies aligned with market trends and customer insights
- Identify whitespace and growth opportunities within categories
- Drive seasonal and long-term category planning
Sourcing, Supplier Management & Cost/Quality Optimization
- Define and implement sourcing strategies across domestic and international suppliers
- Lead supplier identification, onboarding, and relationship management to ensure scalability and resilience
- Drive cost optimization initiatives through negotiations, benchmarking, and value engineering
- Establish and enforce quality standards and governance mechanisms across suppliers
- Monitor supplier performance through scorecards and corrective action frameworks
- Lead contract negotiations and commercial terms management
- Ensure adherence to regulatory, ethical sourcing, and compliance standards
Sample Development, Approval & Merchandising Execution
- Oversee sample development cycles in partnership with product/design teams
- Drive timely evaluation and approval of samples against cost, quality, and design benchmarks
- Optimize product mix and inventory levels to improve sell-through and reduce markdowns
- Ensure assortment alignment with brand positioning and customer expectations
- Track category KPIs and drive corrective actions based on performance data
Planning, Logistics & Supply Coordination
- Collaborate with planning and supply chain teams for forecasting and replenishment alignment
- Ensure effective logistics coordination and production planning to support launch timelines
- Identify bottlenecks across sourcing-to-delivery flows and drive process improvements
- Maintain compliance with import/export, vendor documentation, and operational requirements
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with product, marketing, and retail teams to launch and promote collections
- Support go-to-market planning and campaign execution
- Work with analytics teams to derive insights for decision-making
Leadership
- Mentor and lead merchandising and sourcing teams
- Drive accountability, ownership, and performance culture
- Build scalable processes and best practices across supplier and category management
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or related field (MBA preferred)
- 10–15+ years of experience in sourcing, merchandising, or category management
- Experience in retail, fashion, consumer products, or omnichannel businesses preferred
- Proven track record managing supplier ecosystems, cost structures, and quality frameworks
- Strong negotiation, analytical, and stakeholder management skills
- Experience managing teams and cross-functional initiatives
Required Skills
- Category & P&L ownership
- Strategic sourcing & supplier management
- Cost and quality optimization
- Vendor negotiation
- Assortment planning
- Sample development oversight
- Logistics and planning coordination
- Compliance management
- Data-driven decision making
- Leadership & team management
Preferred Skills
- Success Metrics
- Category revenue and margin growth
- Inventory efficiency and sell-through
- Supplier performance, quality adherence, and cost optimization
- Speed and effectiveness of product launches
- Sample approval cycle efficiency
- Logistics reliability and planning accuracy
