Platform Category Lead - Auto category

Platform Category Lead - Auto category

Own the development of the Auto category across the eMAG platforms in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, and achieve agreed objectives for sales, margin, and market share.

The role builds the Auto category starting from the customer: understanding who the buyer is, what needs they have, and how they make decisions — and from this understanding derives the complete commercial proposition for the category: what assortment should exist, at what price, with what payment methods, under what delivery conditions, and with what associated services — as well as how this proposition is built and presented on the platform.

The role does not stop at defining strategy: it sets the objectives that follow from it, develops and implements the initiatives needed to reach them, measures results, and adjusts accordingly. Ownership of the objectives is full, and delivery is achieved through cross-functional collaboration with the allocated teams — 1P and marketplace for assortment, and the platform functions responsible for price, payments, delivery, services, merchandising, and experience.

The role also holds the strategy for growing the category's customer base and the investment decisions around customer acquisition and retention. The position is the commercial point of reference for the category at organizational level.

What you’ll have to do:

The Customer & the Need — The Starting Point

Define the category's customer strategy: buyer segments, needs and purchase occasions, decision-making behavior, and the value proposition per segment across each of the three markets.

Own the strategy for attracting new customers to the category and retaining the existing base: acquisition objectives, repeat-purchase targets, and migration of customers between segments.

Hold commercial investment decisions for the customer base on two levels — tactical demand and conversion stimulation mechanisms (such as CPS and promotional activations) and strategic mechanisms for long-term customer-value development — and set the allocation between them.

Develop, implement, and measure acquisition and retention initiatives, tracking the relationship between acquisition cost and customer lifetime value (CAC vs. LTV), and deciding whether to continue, adjust, or redirect mechanisms based on this economics.

The Category's Commercial Proposition

Define the total assortment strategy for the category: required coverage across subcategories, brands, and price tiers; coverage gaps; selection criteria; and the portfolio evolution direction per market.

Define the pricing strategy and value architecture of the category, as well as the competitiveness level the platform targets on relevant segments.

Define the category's needs regarding payment methods and financing solutions relevant to basket value and specific purchase behavior.

Define the category's needs regarding delivery and post-purchase experience — lead times, options, specific handling and transport conditions, returns — as part of the value proposition.

Define the development direction for associated services and complementary propositions relevant to the category, supporting the purchase decision and long-term customer value.

Set measurable objectives for each component of the commercial proposition — assortment coverage, price competitiveness, payment-method adoption, delivery service level, associated-service penetration — and translate them into a joint work agenda with the allocated teams.

Own the achievement of these objectives: develop and implement the necessary initiatives, lead cross-functional work with 1P and marketplace teams for assortment and with the platform functions responsible for price, payments, delivery, and services; measure progress and decide on necessary adjustments.

Merchandising & On-Platform Experience:

Define the category storefront: navigation architecture and taxonomy, visible assortment, product presentation and comparability, and the discovery–information–conversion journey.

Define content, information, and availability standards for the category, as an integral part of the customer experience and trust.

Define the commercial activation direction and the promotional calendar for the category.

Own the achievement of the category's experience and conversion objectives: develop and implement merchandising, content, availability, and commercial-activation initiatives, in cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Digital Merchandising, Product, Technology, Customer Care, and Operations teams; measure their impact.

Performance, Market & Organization:

Own the commercial result of the category across the three markets — sales, margin, active assortment, and market share — regardless of the business model through which it is realized.

Define the medium-term vision and growth agenda for the category and support it in annual planning and budgeting cycles.

Analyze category performance, customer demand, market dynamics, trends, and local & international competition; lead periodic commercial reviews and decide on necessary adjustment directions.

Prioritize the category's initiative portfolio, track delivery, and evaluate the achieved result against committed objectives.

Represent the category in relationships with brands and strategic partners, at the level of commercial direction and joint market development.

Contribute to platform development by defining commercial and functional needs towards Product and Technology teams, and support the standardization of category-management practices across the organization.

How we'd like you to be:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field (Master's or MBA is a plus).

Experience: Minimum 5 years in category management, e-commerce commercial roles, or product/portfolio management — preferably within online retail, marketplace, or fast-moving consumer environments.

Strategic thinking: Proven ability to build a category vision starting from the customer, translate it into a measurable plan, and drive it end-to-end through cross-functional teams.

Commercial ownership: Demonstrated track record of owning P&L-level results — sales, margin, market share — and making data-driven investment decisions (CAC/LTV, promotional ROI, assortment economics).

Analytical rigor: Strong comfort with data, KPI dashboards, market analysis, and competitive benchmarking; ability to translate complex insights into clear commercial decisions.

Cross-functional leadership: Experience working with 1P, marketplace, pricing, payments, logistics, merchandising, marketing, product, and technology teams — without formal authority over them.

E-commerce platform fluency: Deep understanding of how assortment, price, content, availability, and promotional levers interact to drive conversion and customer experience on a digital platform.

Customer-centric mindset: Ability to map buyer segments, decision journeys, and value propositions, and to design acquisition & retention strategies accordingly.

Market awareness: Up-to-date knowledge of retail/e-commerce trends, competitive dynamics, and best practices across Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary (or willingness to build it rapidly).

Stakeholder & partner management: Confidence in representing the category externally with brands and strategic partners, and internally with senior leadership.

Languages: Full professional proficiency in English; Romanian is a strong advantage.

Mindset: Ownership-driven, comfortable with ambiguity, energized by building from scratch, and committed to measurable results.