Category Manager - Banana

Key Responsibilities

1. Category Launch & Cluster Development

• Lead the end-to-end launch of the Banana category across assigned clusters in Maharashtra.
  
• Identify high-potential banana-growing regions based on acreage, farmer density, production volume, and market opportunity.
  
• Develop and execute cluster-wise launch plans to ensure successful service adoption.
  
• Build relationships with farmers, FPOs, traders, local influencers, labour contractors, and execution partners.
  
• Standardize launch processes and create scalable operating playbooks for expansion.
  

2. Banana Fruit Care Operations

• Design, implement, and scale banana fruit care services including bunch covering, propping, deleafing, bunch management, bagging, spraying, and other crop-stage-specific interventions.
  
• Define service execution standards, SOPs, productivity benchmarks, quality parameters, and pricing models.
  
• Monitor service quality, farmer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
  
• Continuously improve service offerings based on field observations and farmer feedback.
  

3. Harvesting Operations Management

• Build and manage organized harvesting labour teams across operational clusters.
  
• Ensure timely availability of skilled labour during peak harvesting periods.
  
• Oversee harvesting execution, quality standards, productivity, attendance, and coordination with farmers and transport partners.
  
• Minimize execution delays and resolve on-ground operational challenges.
  

4. Farmer Acquisition & Relationship Management

• Drive farmer acquisition through field visits, demonstrations, referrals, and community engagement.
  
• Build long-term relationships with progressive farmers, village leaders, traders, and farmer groups.
  
• Manage the complete customer lifecycle from enquiry to booking, execution, feedback, and repeat business.
  
• Address farmer concerns, pricing discussions, escalations, and service recovery.
  

5. Labour Supply & Workforce Development

• Develop and manage a reliable network of local and migrant labour for banana operations.
  
• Recruit, train, and evaluate labour teams to ensure adherence to quality standards.
  
• Create cluster-wise labour deployment plans based on seasonal demand forecasts.
  
• Monitor labour productivity, attendance, discipline, and retention.
  

6. Operations & Execution Excellence

• Coordinate with sourcing, allocation, field operations, and customer-facing teams to ensure seamless service delivery.
  
• Monitor daily operations including job allocation, fulfilment, attendance, productivity, service quality, and customer feedback.
  
• Resolve operational bottlenecks and ensure timely execution across clusters.
  
• Implement structured daily, weekly, and seasonal operational review mechanisms.
  

7. Category Strategy & Business Growth

• Develop category growth strategies for banana services across new and existing markets.
  
• Build pricing models considering labour costs, productivity, margins, and farmer affordability.
  
• Track key business metrics including revenue, fulfilment rate, repeat usage, customer satisfaction, and unit economics.
  
• Identify opportunities for service bundling, process improvements, and geographical expansion.
  
• Provide regular insights and recommendations to leadership for scaling the category efficiently.
  

8. Data, Reporting & Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate operational data, service reports, productivity metrics, and performance dashboards.
  
• Analyse field performance to identify improvement opportunities.
  
• Recommend process enhancements to improve operational efficiency, customer experience, and profitability.
  
• Support the development of technology-enabled workflows and digital adoption within field operations.
  

9. Cross-functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Product, Operations, Agronomy, Supply, HR, and Leadership teams.
  
• Ensure alignment between demand generation, labour availability, and operational execution.
  
• Support new service launches, pilot programs, and continuous process innovation.
  

Requirements

Must-Haves ● 4–8 years of experience in agri operations, category management, field sales, rural business, agri-inputs, procurement, labour operations, or marketplace operations. ● Strong understanding of Maharashtra’s banana-growing regions and farmer networks. ● Ability to work deeply on the ground across villages and clusters. ● Comfort managing farmers, labourers, supervisors, and local stakeholders. ● Strong execution mindset with the ability to handle ambiguity and operational pressure. ● Ability to build processes from scratch, not just follow existing systems. ● Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills. ● Willingness to travel extensively across banana clusters.

Preferred Backgrounds Strong candidates may come from:

● Agri-input companies.

● Agri-tech startups.

● Farmer advisory or crop service companies.

● Rural distribution businesses.

● Fresh produce procurement or sourcing roles.

● Labour contractor or field operations businesses.

● Hyperlocal marketplace, logistics, or cluster operations roles. Experience in banana, horticulture, fruit care, harvesting, or Maharashtra agri markets will be a strong advantage.

Personality Fit

You will do well in this role if you are:

● Deeply comfortable on the ground.

● Farmer-first in your thinking.

● Commercially sharp and operationally hands-on.

● Able to build trust quickly in rural markets.

● Calm when execution breaks.

● Strong with both systems and people.

● Comfortable taking ownership without waiting for instructions.

● Practical, fast-moving, and detail-oriented.