Category Manager - Hobbies

About the role

Kogan is looking for a commercially sharp, community-minded Category Manager to join its Purchasing team in South Melbourne. You will own the end-to-end commercial performance of the Hobbies & Collectibles portfolio, from Games Workshop and trading card games through to scale models, Gunpla, statues and Pop! Vinyl. The role sits within the Mighty Ape business, with full P&L ownership, and is based in Melbourne with minimal travel to New Zealand.

Key responsibilities

• Own the commercial performance of the Hobbies & Collectibles portfolio, including sales, gross profit, net profit, inventory turnover and ROI.
• Develop and execute short- and long-term category strategies to grow market share against specialist hobby retailers, global collector marketplaces and direct-to-consumer licensor stores.
• Own range architecture across a wide SKU set, setting entry and exit criteria for brands and licences and rationalising underperforming lines.
• Build relationships with licensors, manufacturers and distributors and negotiate allocations on supply-constrained products.
• Grow the hobby community around Mighty Ape, ensuring scarce product reaches genuine fans rather than resellers, and help plan and run community events.
• Own the pre-order strategy end to end, from listing speed at announcement day through to delivery, including long-dated collectible pre-orders.
• Manage the full product lifecycle from release pricing through to clearance, acting on aged and slow-moving stock.
• Design and run a promotional calendar built around the global release slate and key trading events.
• Analyse performance trends using core business systems, advanced Excel and AI-powered tools, and act quickly through eCommerce levers.

Required profile

• University degree in a relevant field (Commerce, Business, Engineering, Supply Chain or similar).
• Experience owning a category, at Junior Category Manager or Category Manager level.
• Experience in an eCommerce, retail or FMCG environment, and/or in tech and electronics categories such as laptops, monitors, tablets, phones, drones and computer accessories.
• Comfortable building and maintaining effective relationships, highly analytical with a strong commercial sense, and able to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Ready to challenge and be challenged within a disruptive business model.

Required skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel, including VLOOKUP and pivot tables.
• Tech savviness and ability to use IT and cloud-based tools to improve efficiency.

What we offer

• Employee benefits including a complimentary Kogan First membership, team-exclusive discounts and a health and wellness program.
• Learning and development, lunch and learns, hackathons, team member referral program and company and team events.
• Community engagement (volunteering) and extensive career development opportunities.

To apply, upload your CV and cover letter explaining why you want the role and how you can help grow the business; generic cover letters are not sufficient. All new candidates are sent a test, and a National Police Record check and full-time Australian working rights are required.