Олена

OLENA PAVLICHENKO
HEAD OF CATEGORY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT | PRODUCT MANAGER
Odesa, Ukraine / [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») / [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)
[відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») / Open to any format (remote, on-site,
hybrid)

LANGUAGES: Ukrainian: Native / English: B1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Head of Category Management Department in consumer electronics (phone cases and screen protection for smartphones
and gadgets). Experience building a department from the ground up and managing the full product cycle: from market
research to manufacturing, launch and ongoing category development. Coordinated the work of an agent in China,
negotiated with manufacturers during business trips, and represented the company at international trade exhibitions to
source new factory partners.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
▸ Formed a team of 6 people (category managers and ▸ Category revenue grew by 30-35% year-over-year during
assistants) within the first year in the role. the leadership period.
▸ Managed a product portfolio and assortment matrix of ▸ Reduced the share of slow-moving stock by 55-60%
1,500+ SKUs. through assortment and inventory optimization.
▸ Coordinated the work of an agent in China and worked ▸ Launched 50+ new products and private-label SKUs, from
with partners in Europe. concept to launch.

CORE EXPERTISE

Department Build-out • Team Management • Category Management • Product Management • International
Negotiations • Category Profitability Management • Market & Competitor Analysis • Assortment Optimization •
New Product & Private Label Launch • Manufacturer Relations (China) • International Coordination: China & Europe
• Commercial Strategy • Practical Use of AI Tools in Business Processes

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

NCASE, CONSUMER ELECTRONICS (PHONE CASES & SCREEN
PROTECTION)
Head of Category Management Department / Product Manager 2024 – Present | Odesa / China, Europe
Heads the category management department at NCase, responsible for the commercial performance of categories and product
portfolio development.
COMMERCIAL STRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
▸ Developed the product portfolio and assortment strategy in line with market needs, company goals and the
competitive landscape.
▸ As Product Manager, owned the full product lifecycle: from market research, idea generation and customer needs
analysis to development, manufacturing, launch and further growth.
▸ Coordinated new product and private-label launches, working closely with manufacturers, marketing, procurement,
logistics and the sales team.
▸ Negotiated with manufacturers in China on pricing, product quality, MOQs, terms of cooperation and cost optimization;
held in-person meetings with manufacturers during business trips to China.
▸ Represented the company at the Global Sources and Innoex trade exhibitions: organized product displays at the
company booth and sourced new factory partners for private-label development.
TEAM & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
 ▸ Built the category management department from scratch: formed the team, defined areas of responsibility, and
designed business processes, work regulations and a goal-setting system.
▸ Built and led a Ukrainian team of 6 (category managers and assistants); coordinated the work of an agent in China who
handled factory communication, quality control and production timelines on request. Gained experience working with
the Ukrainian sales department, as well as separately with sales departments in China and Europe.
▸ Implemented AI tools in department workflows for information analysis, documentation, product concept work and
automation of routine tasks.
ANALYTICS, PROFITABILITY & RESULTS
▸ Analyzed the market, competitors, product trends, sales performance, inventory turnover and category profitability to
inform strategic business decisions.
▸ Monitored margin and profitability across product categories.
▸ Optimized the product portfolio and assortment matrix based on sales analytics and market trends, reducing the share
of slow-moving stock.
▸ Contributed to company strategic planning, new business direction development and product portfolio scaling.
RESULT: category revenue grew by 30-35% year-over-year; the share of slow-moving stock decreased by 55-60% through
assortment optimization.

NCASE
Category Manager 2021 – 2022
▸ Managed product assortment and category development, analyzed sales and monitored inventory turnover.
▸ Sourced and selected suppliers, securing the best terms on price and MOQ.
▸ Set pricing, monitored category margin and profitability, and planned product lifecycles.
▸ Optimized the assortment, sourced and developed new products to expand the matrix, and launched private-label
brands.
▸ Prepared sales, profitability and category performance reports; collaborated with marketing on brand promotion.

EARLIER CAREER
NCase Sales Manager 2021
▸ Managed sales to corporate clients and partners, prepared commercial proposals and met sales targets.
Tsytrus (Citrus) Service Manager 2020
▸ Advised customers on warranty terms and device servicing, and liaised with service centers.
Tsytrus (Citrus) Sales Consultant 2018 – 2020
▸ Advised customers on product assortment, worked toward sales KPIs (targets, conversion), and trained new staff.

EDUCATION ADDITIONAL
Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University 5 certificate courses in management and category management
Master's Degree, Software Engineering, 2018 – 2024 (Coursera), full list on LinkedIn.
Tools: 1C, Power BI, AI tools for business process optimization