Category Leader

• *Role Summary**

The Category Manager is responsible for driving portfolio strategy, product lifecycle management, and profitable growth across assigned seed categories. This role serves as a key link between regional and country teams to ensure effective product positioning, successful launches, and strong market execution aligned to business objectives.

• *Key Responsibilities**

• *Strategy \& Portfolio Management**

• Drive profitable pricing and portfolio strategy for the Seeds category, delivering both short\- and long\-term revenue and margin objectives.
• Develop and execute crop and hybrid\-specific strategies, including segmentation, targeting, and positioning for key markets.
• Identify market opportunities through robust market analysis and customer insights to support growth and expansion plans.
• Build and manage business cases for new product introductions and portfolio optimization initiatives.

• *Product Development \& Launch Excellence**

• Partner with regional marketing, R\&D, and regulatory teams to manage product lifecycle and ensure timely product availability and launches.
• Monitor product development and registration timelines (where applicable) to ensure seamless commercialization.
• Develop clear value propositions for new hybrids/varieties based on field data, agronomic advantages, and customer needs.
• Lead go\-to\-market planning and execution for new seed launches, ensuring alignment across cross\-functional teams.

• *Marketing Execution**

• Design and support demand plans in collaboration with sales and marketing teams to drive market adoption.
• Work closely with marketing communications and digital teams to design impactful campaigns and product positioning.
• Track and evaluate campaign effectiveness and optimize strategies based on insights and feedback.
• Develop customer engagement and loyalty programs to strengthen brand and product adoption.

• *Business Planning \& Performance Management**

• Own the sales and expense planning process for the assigned category, including forecasting, budgeting, and performance tracking.
• Collaborate with sales teams to align on targets, execution priorities, and market deployment plans.
• Monitor business performance and take proactive actions to address gaps and drive growth.

• *Stakeholder Management \& Leadership**

• Act as the central point of contact for category\-related communication across global, regional, and country stakeholders.
• Drive alignment and secure buy\-in for product strategies within the country organization.
• Lead cross\-functional teams (e.g., Product/Portfolio Teams) to ensure integrated planning and execution.

• *Supply \& Inventory Management**

• Define and manage inventory strategies in collaboration with supply chain teams to ensure optimal availability while minimizing excess.
• Align country\-level demand plans with regional and global supply strategies.

• *Qualifications \& Experience**

• *Education**

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred).

• *Experience**

• Minimum 10 years of experience in marketing, product management, or portfolio management within seeds/agri\-inputs or related industries.
• Proven track record of driving growth through strategic marketing and execution excellence.
• Hands\-on experience in product launches and lifecycle management within the Seeds or Agri domain.
• Strong understanding of farmer/customer needs, market dynamics, and channel ecosystems.

• *Skills \& Competencies**

• Strong strategic thinking and analytical capability
• Deep understanding of seed business, crop cycles, and agronomic value drivers
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross\-functional collaboration skills
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Ability to translate data and insights into actionable business strategies