Category Head – Processed Foods & New Products

About the Role:

We are looking for a Category Head – Processed Foods & New Products to build and scale a fast-growing processed food portfolio.

The role will initially have a strong focus on New Product Development (NPD) and taking new products from concept to market. Over time, the person will own the broader category, including distribution, Modern Trade, General Trade and other relevant channels.

This is a high-ownership role for someone who can combine category thinking, commercial understanding and hands-on execution.

The ideal candidate should have experience building or scaling a food/FMCG category and be comfortable working in an environment where the category is still being built.

Key Responsibilities:

1. New Product Development

• Own the NPD agenda for the processed foods portfolio.
• Identify consumer and market opportunities and translate them into new product concepts.
• Work closely with Product, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations and Marketing teams to take products from concept to launch.
• Build launch plans covering pricing, positioning, channels, distribution and sales.
• Track post-launch performance and make changes based on consumer and commercial feedback.
• Develop a repeatable playbook for launching and scaling new SKUs.

2. Category Ownership

• Own the overall growth and development of the processed foods category.
• Define category strategy, portfolio priorities and growth levers.
• Identify whitespace opportunities across products, channels and geographies.
• Build the category into a meaningful business over the next few years.
• Balance growth, distribution, revenue and profitability.

3. Distribution & Channel Expansion

• Build distribution for the category across priority markets.
• Develop relationships with distributors, Modern Trade accounts and other relevant channel partners.
• Identify the right channel mix for different products and markets.
• Drive numeric distribution, availability and secondary sales.
• Build scalable distribution and channel processes as the business expands.

4. Modern Trade & Key Accounts

• Develop and manage relationships with relevant Modern Trade partners.
• Drive listings, assortment, visibility, promotions and category growth.
• Negotiate commercial terms and Joint Business Plans where relevant.
• Identify opportunities for new product launches through Modern Trade.
• Build strong relationships with buyers and category teams.

5. Commercial & Business Ownership

• Own category-level revenue and growth targets.
• Track margins, pricing, trade spends and channel economics.
• Develop channel-wise business plans and forecasts.
• Use data and market feedback to make decisions on assortment, pricing and promotions.
• Work closely with Finance to build a clear view of category P&L.

6. Cross-functional Leadership

• Work closely with Product/R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, Finance and Sales.
• Ensure products launched are commercially viable and operationally scalable.
• Coordinate supply planning and product availability with business growth plans.
• Partner with Marketing on positioning, communication and launch strategy.
• Resolve execution bottlenecks and drive initiatives end-to-end.

7. Building the Business

• Operate with a strong 0-to-1 / 1-to-10 mindset.
• Identify opportunities independently rather than waiting for a defined playbook.
• Build processes and systems as the category scales.
• Develop the team and channel capabilities required for the next stage of growth.
• Personally drive critical launches, partnerships and commercial opportunities.

What We Are Looking For:

• 8–15 years of experience.
• Experience in FMCG, Food, F&B, Packaged Foods, Frozen Foods, Ready-to-Cook, Dairy, Ice Cream or related consumer categories.
• Proven experience in New Product Development and/or building a new category/business.
• Strong understanding of distribution and channel development.
• Experience with Modern Trade and key account management.
• Strong commercial understanding of pricing, margins, trade spends and P&L.
• Ability to work across product, sales, marketing and operations.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

We are particularly interested in candidates who have:

• Built a food/FMCG category from 0→1 or 1→10.
• Personally launched new products and taken them to market.
• Built distribution for a new product/category.
• Experience with Modern Trade + General Trade/distributors.
• Worked in a startup, challenger brand or high-growth FMCG environment.
• Strong relationships with buyers/channel partners.
• Demonstrated ownership of revenue or P&L.

Preferred Background:

Candidates from the following categories are particularly relevant:

• Frozen Foods
• Ready-to-Cook / Ready-to-Eat
• Packaged Foods
• Ice Cream
• Dairy
• Meat / Seafood / Frozen Protein
• Consumer Food Startups
• FMCG / Food Brands
• D2C Food Brands with offline expansion

What This Role Is NOT:

This is not a pure sales/KAM role.

We are not looking for someone who has only managed existing accounts or distributed an established portfolio.

The person should be able to demonstrate:

Consumer/market insight → NPD → Launch → Distribution → Modern Trade → Category growth → P&L ownership

Key Success Measures:

The first 12–18 months would broadly be measured on:

• Successful launch of new processed food products.
• Revenue and growth of the category.
• Distribution expansion.
• Modern Trade presence and business growth.
• New channel/customer acquisition.
• Category-level margins and profitability.
• Repeatable NPD and launch processes.
• Ability to build the category into a significant business.