If the role of a Category Manager interests you, here’s an example of a job description taken from a job ad on MyCareersFuture:
Key Responsibilities
1. Market analysis and research
- Conduct market research to understand trends, customer behaviour, and competitor performance
- Analyse sales data, identify patterns, and spot opportunities for category growth
- Develop pricing strategies based on market conditions and product performance
2. Product management
- Oversee product selection and assortment within the category
- Collaborate with suppliers and vendors to ensure product availability
- Monitor stock levels, forecast demand, and ensure proper inventory management
3. Vendor relationships
- Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers
- Negotiate pricing, terms, and promotional activities with suppliers
- Ensure that products meet quality standards and are delivered on time
4. Category strategy development
- Develop and implement strategies to grow the category’s sales and profitability
- Identify new product opportunities and categories to introduce to the business
- Set category goals and Key Performance Indicators for performance tracking
5. Promotions and marketing
- Work with the marketing team to create promotional plans and campaigns for the category
- Ensure that marketing efforts align with the overall category strategy
- Monitor the effectiveness of promotions and adjust strategies accordingly
6. Sales performance monitoring
- Track sales performance and compare it against set targets
- Provide regular reports to senior management on category performance, trends, and opportunities
- Suggest corrective actions to improve sales when necessary
7. Collaborate with other departments
- Work closely with the merchandising, logistics, and procurement teams to ensure the efficient flow of products
- Coordinate with the sales team to ensure product knowledge and availability during customer interactions
8. Customer insights
- Understand customer needs and preferences related to the category
- Use customer feedback and insights to enhance product offerings and improve the overall customer experience
9. Budget and financial management
- Develop and manage the category budget, including spending on promotions and marketing
- Monitor financial performance, focusing on margins and profitability
10. Reporting and analysis
- Prepare regular reports on category performance, including sales, margins, stock levels, and customer trends
- Provide insights and recommendations based on data analysis to improve category performance
So “new collar jobs” are jobs that requiring a combination of technical skills without the need for a specialised degree.
The fact is, formal education is not always the best indicator of capability — what truly matters is whether a candidate has the right skills and mindset to perform in a fast-evolving workplace.
Shangari Manoharan, Associate Director of Technical Practice at Michael Page, shares more about this genre of new collar role in the sector, and useful tips for jobseekers and career switchers about it.
Why are Category Managers considered “new collar”?
Category Manager is a strategic role focused on maximising value from a specific spend area (e.g., IT, raw materials, marketing, etc). Practical category experience, stakeholder skills and commercial mindset matter more than formal education.
What has changed about it compared to its previous iteration?
The Category Manager role has expanded significantly in Singapore, driven by the nation’s emphasis on sustainable procurement and innovation.
Today, Category Managers lead supplier collaboration, risk mitigation and cost optimisation aligned with ESG objectives.
Amid increasing complexity in global supply chains particularly in technology and logistic, there is a need for deep understanding of market dynamics, internal demand drivers and supplier capabilities.
Additionally, digital tools and analytics platforms are empowering them with richer category insights to make more informed and strategic decisions.
What are the career and salary prospects of this role?
Category Management offers strong growth opportunities, especially in Singapore’s multinational and regional procurement hubs landscape.
Mid-level Category Managers earn between $6,000-$8,000, while senior managers and regional leaders can earn $9,000-$12,000+ depending on category complexity and geographic scope.
There is particularly high demand for specialists in indirect categories such as IT, marketing services, logistics/freight and professional services.
Find your next job on MyCareersFuture. We have over 100,000 job opportunities daily for you.
What are the skillsets required to take up this role?
Strategic sourcing, market analysis, stakeholder engagement, contract negotiation, supplier development and category-specific knowledge (e.g., digital, logistics).
For mid-career switchers, what is necessary to move from another industry or job into this role?
Transition from general procurement or business roles are still not a natural career path, however we observe some organisations being receptive provided the professionals could pair strong core skills with industry specific knowledge to stay competitive.
Is this role needed for more than one industry?
Category Managers are crucial in sectors with large or complex spend areas such as tech, FMCG, automotive, healthcare.
This article was done in collaboration with Michael Page.
