Senior Category Manager

Dogs, cats, budgies and everything in between - pets deserve the world. They make us want to be better humans. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to build the most engaged and passionate community of pets and pet parents across the world. And we’re looking for talented team mates who can help us do it.

Founded in Sydney, our team of 500+ pet obsessives span Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. We’ve scaled to become one of Australia's top five eComm companies and the no.1 online pet store. But we’re just getting started. Like a whippet who’s spotted their mate across the dog park, our growth is only going to accelerate, as we continue to disrupt the way that pet parents shop.

Excitingly, the pet industry is booming (as in $15 billion kind of booming) and online pet retail is set to grow exponentially in the next five years. So this is a unique career opportunity to be part of our epic growth story.

The opportunity

We’re hiring a Senior Category Manager – General Merchandise to lead strategic category growth across dog and cat accessories, habitat, enrichment, and behavioural supplies. This role owns the commercial strategy, sourcing approach, and supplier relationships that power a profitable, high-performing range.

This is not a traditional buying role. You’ll blend sharp analytics, sourcing expertise, and commercial planning to scale exclusive and private label ranges, working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver customer-first, margin-accretive outcomes.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Own end-to-end commercial strategy across general merchandise categories—driving revenue, margin, and customer growth.
• Build and execute data-driven range and sourcing plans that align to customer needs and business priorities.
• Use sales data, customer insights, and market trends to identify whitespace opportunities and shape range architecture.
• Set financial targets (turnover, net income, new product contribution) and track performance against goals.
• Lead the identification and onboarding of exclusive suppliers and private label partners—primarily sourced from China and Southeast Asia.
• Manage the full sourcing process from vendor selection and sampling through to commercial negotiation and import readiness.
• Ensure all private label products meet quality, price, margin, and delivery standards, with clear differentiation from branded alternatives.
• Work with internal Quality, Supply Chain, and Digital Shelf teams to manage the onboarding and go-live of new lines.
• Own supplier relationships—negotiating pricing, terms, exclusivity, and service levels to unlock growth and protect margin.
• Drive supplier performance through regular reviews, joint business planning, and commercial accountability.
• Work closely with the Vet Squad and Customer teams to ensure product suitability and need-state alignment.
• Actively manage 3P procurement, ensuring sourced ranges support strategic category goals and financial performance.
• Partner with Digital Shelf, Trade, Supply Chain, and Marketing teams to ensure smooth execution of category plans.
• Collaborate with Inventory Planning to manage in-stock health, support forecasting, and improve availability.
• Ensure commercial goals are supported by strong operational execution—online, in planning, and in reporting.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing buying team with a focus on commercial thinking, supplier management, and sourcing execution.
  
  

The ideal toolbox

• 7+ years in category management, sourcing, or buying—ideally in retail, eCommerce, or consumer goods.
• Ability to interpret complex sales, customer, and market data, translate insights into actionable strategies, and forecast future trends to drive category growth and profitability.
• Proven capability in managing extensive product information lifecycles, ensuring data accuracy, and leveraging digital shelf best practices for optimal online presence and customer experience.
• Deep expertise in identifying, evaluating, and onboarding international (especially China/Southeast Asia) and domestic suppliers, coupled with advanced skills in negotiating favorable terms, quality control, and managing complex import processes.
• Strong understanding of demand forecasting, inventory management principles, and the ability to collaborate with supply chain teams to optimize stock levels, reduce costs, and maximize product availability.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-faceted projects (e.g., new product launches, category overhauls) by effectively coordinating diverse internal teams (Digital Shelf, Marketing, Supply Chain) to achieve commercial objectives.
• High proficiency in building sophisticated financial models, analyzing profitability (including net income and margin accretion), and developing commercially viable plans that align with broader business goals.
• Proven leadership skills in guiding, mentoring, and developing team mates,, fostering commercial thinking, and empowering individuals to achieve their full potential in alignment with business growth priorities.
  
  

Role location

We believe that building connections and collaborating as Pet Circlers is super important. So this role is based in Sydney with a hybrid arrangement of 3 days per week in our pet friendly offices (your pet might love coming to the office even more than you). This is subject to change in line with business requirements.

Juicy perks

• Heaps of development opportunities - stretch projects, secondments and unlimited learning courses via Go1
• Flexible working environment
• Up to 50% employee discount
• Product sample giveaways
• Pawrental leave and wellbeing leave
• Team charity volunteer days
• Classpass subsidy
  
  

Why Join?

We Reckon Our Mission To Help The World Pet Better Is An Important One, But Also An Incredibly Fun And Rewarding One. Becoming a Pet Circler Means You’re Committed To Help Shape An Entire Industry - It’s Pretty Exciting Stuff. Here’s What We Stand For

• We're better together
• We operate with humble hearts and hungry minds
• Pets matter' so pets and pet parents always have a seat at our table
• We're instinctively curious. Always.
  
  

Belong at Pet Circle

Our unique perspectives and expertise is our superpower - we value diversity in all forms. So, no matter your background, please apply if this role makes you excited to bring your full self to work each day.