Manager - Brands & Commercial

Role Overview

StarZen is seeking a sharp, commercially focused professional to join as Manager - Brands & Commercial, reporting directly to the Head of D2C. This role demands decisive action grounded in a clear understanding of business metrics across our brands and market. It is neither solely strategic, reporting, nor buying-oriented, but requires you to interpret data and drive commercial results rapidly.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain comprehensive brand intelligence by collaborating with brands and distributors to track launches, product roadmaps, supply/allocation, commercial incentives, vendor funding, channel focus, and risks/opportunities to enable proactive decision-making.
• Continuously monitor market intelligence: competitor pricing, assortment, stock availability, promotions, new product entries, customer demand shifts, and overall market trends, translating insights into actionable recommendations.
• Develop a deep understanding of internal business performance at SKU level, analyzing sales, gross margins, stock levels, ageing, sell-through, pricing, promotions, brand/category, retail and e-commerce results to establish the definitive commercial truth amid conflicting interpretations.
• Drive commercial actions from analysis, including stock buying adjustments, pricing changes, vendor negotiations, allocation management, inventory movements, assortment changes, promotion starts/stops, and securing vendor funding to optimize business outcomes.
• Lead buying decisions with sound judgment supported by a Commercial Operations Executive managing purchase orders, master data, trackers, and administrative tasks, allowing focus on strategy, negotiation, and execution.

Candidate Profile

• Prior direct ownership of P&L, category, or business line results; experience managing teams without such ownership is insufficient.
• Exceptional commercial acumen with strong numerical skills, fast decision-making, street smart approach, curiosity, hunger to grow, comfort handling incomplete info, strong negotiation capabilities, persistence in follow-through, willingness to challenge norms, and readiness to be hands-on.
• Proactive problem-solver who rapidly initiates solutions.
• Preferred experience: 4-8 years in consumer electronics, smartphones, e-commerce, marketplaces, electronics retail, D2C brands, or high-growth consumer businesses.
• Education from premier institutes such as IITs or BITS Pilani is highly desirable.
• Relevant roles include Category Manager, Senior Category Manager, Category Business Manager, Business Manager, Commercial Manager, GTM Manager, E-commerce Business Manager, or Buyers with broad commercial accountability.

Experience & Skillset

• Category/business target ownership, purchasing and stock decisions, pricing and promotions management.
• Gross margin and profitability analysis, vendor and brand negotiation experience.
• Inventory and ageing management, product launch coordination, competitor assessment.
• Interpreting detailed commercial data and taking corrective actions when performance is off plan.

Role Clarifications

This position is not focused solely on procurement, report generation, business analysis, corporate coordination, vendor relations, or purely strategic/deck preparation roles. It requires active thinking and execution capabilities.

Core responsibility: Understand what brands, markets, and business figures communicate and ensure decisive action is taken.