Category Lead

Samt o Soye Atieh (SOSA) · Tehran, Iran · Full-time · On-site
SOSA imports raw materials for the food industry — cocoa, coffee, chocolate and specialty fats — strictly B2B. We represent Barry Callebaut, Bensdorp, Callebaut, Cia. Iguaçu in Iran, and sell to manufacturers in ice cream, dairy, beverages, bakery and chocolate.
The role
You own the portfolio — all of it — from the negotiation with the principal to the margin we book on delivery.
Three things sit in one role: the commercial result of each category, the relationship with the global brands we represent, and the process and planning that make both possible. They are not separable. The person who sees every import order up close is the first to know where margin is leaking and where the next opportunity is.
What you will own
Commercial. Volume, margin and mix per category. You set and defend pricing, approve quote exceptions, and decide which SKUs we introduce, keep or drop. You read the national import market to find uncovered demand and new segments, and you evaluate new products and principals worth representing. You own each category's quarterly portfolio position and its input to the annual plan.
Principals. The day-to-day relationship with the brands we represent — negotiating price, allocation, payment terms and agreements, giving them our purchase forecast and holding both sides to what was agreed.
Process & planning. Every import order travels the path it should and is recorded correctly. You work a daily exception queue — stalled orders, wrong stage, proforma-vs-PO mismatches, price variances — to closure. You own targets, the quarterly demand forecast, and the supply and sales plan that follow from them — raising the alarm before a shortage, not after it.
Requirements
5–8 years, including at least 2 owning a commercial result — not execution alone
Demonstrated ownership of a P&L, a margin line, or a category
Pricing analysis and competitive / market analysis
English strong enough to negotiate in, not merely correspond
FMCG background — required
Hands-on daily use of an ERP and a CRM
Advanced SQL — you pull and interrogate your own numbers
Planning against the Jalali calendar and Iranian fiscal year
Bachelor's — industrial engineering, management, business, supply chain or food science
Nice to have: food ingredients experience · Iranian order registration, currency allocation and import health licensing · international shipping routes · technical work with food manufacturers.
Why it's worth your time
Real ownership: the portfolio, the supplier relationships and the commercial result are all yours. Direct, continuous contact with the world's leading cocoa and coffee brands. A company with a proper data and systems backbone, so decisions here are made on numbers rather than guesses. Small, professional team; your work is visible.
Competitive salary based on experience · insurance.
How to apply
CV to info@sosa-conf.com, subject "Category Lead".
In the email, in a few lines: describe one category or product whose commercial result was yours — what you decided, what number moved, and how you knew the decision was right. We read that more carefully than the CV.

Work arrangement
Yes