Key Responsibilities:
Strategy Development and Execution
- Develop and execute seasonal product strategies in line with the company strategy.
- Work closely with the Planning Manager to develop cohesive action plans to execute the brand strategy.
- Evaluate strategic progress and pivot where necessary to achieve strategic objectives.
- Identify key macro and micro economic trends that will impact on the implementation of the buying strategy and plan accordingly.
Product Development
- Own and manage the product development cycle from range conceptualization to design, pre-production sample approvals, and bulk production approvals.
- Manage the range architecture and price tiering of seasonal ranges ensuring a credible and balanced assortment is on offer across store grids and online channels.
- Ensure relevant global trends are well represented in the range and aligned to customer preferences.
- Ensure authentic product execution in line with the brand ethos.
- Deliver a clear value proposition in support of the brand positioning.
- Sign off product strategy at various review stages in the product development process.
KPI and Trade Management
- Display a clear understanding of the business against weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales performance to plan.
- Drive key action plans based on current performance to maximize sales, improve sales margin, and minimize markdown.
- Drive an in-season trade mentality in your buying team that displays agility and quick decision making to shift the outcome of sales.
- Manage key performance indicators including sales, sales margin, clearance, and stock management.
Cross Functional Collaboration and Communication
- Maintain a collaborative relationship with the planning, e-commerce, marketing, and store operations teams to ensure cohesive execution of product strategies.
- Provide guidance and support to the marketing team on product launches, promotions, and product initiatives.
Supplier Management
- Forge strategic partnerships with key suppliers by aligning supply base to the business strategy.
- Evaluate and manage supplier performance on a regular basis and identify potential risks within the supplier loading.
- Negotiate with suppliers to achieve margin targets and improve lead time efficiency.
- Maintain strong relationships with existing vendors and explore opportunities for new partnerships.
- Ensure suppliers are compliant with the Group’s social and ethical requirements and contribute towards the brand’s sustainability strategy.
Team Leadership and Talent Management
- Ensure that assigned team is effectively resourced, directed, motivated, and developed to enable team members to reach their full potential.
- Drive and develop the performance of the team with a view to optimize delivery and achievement of objectives while effectively managing performance issues or concerns.
- Ensure learning and development opportunities are available to the team.
- Cultivate a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team to optimize sales and deliver KPIs.
- Mentor, coach, and develop the team to support their career development.
- Manage various functions within the buying department including buying, design, and quality assurance, ensuring alignment across these functions.
Critical Path and Lead Time Management
- Ensure buying critical path aligns to the merchandise cycle to deliver the on-time launch of product.
- Evaluate buying process efficiency and evolve process accordingly to support faster and more accurate decision making.
- Constantly identify opportunities to reduce lead times.
Project Management
- Participate and align business projects to group strategic projects.
- Implement and evolve key retail projects such as 3D, sustainability, and quick response.
Market Analysis
- Conduct regular store and market visits to understand the competitor landscape and identify new opportunities for growth.
Qualifications and Experience:
- A relevant tertiary qualification.
- Minimum 3 years working experience at a management level, including people/team management.
- Minimum 10 years relevant buying/merchandise experience is essential.
Skills:
- Proven track record in building and maintaining strategic supplier relationships.
- Proven track record and ability to drive a merchandise strategy by demonstrating innovative and creative thinking.
- Ability to persuade and influence both internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work well under pressure and deliver to aggressive deadlines, including problem solving.
- Exceptional analytical ability to effectively evaluate and drive functional KPIs, including sales growth, PIS, CSOH, input- and maintained margins, stock turn, clearance.
- Strong written and verbal communication at all levels of the organization.
- Proven leadership and people management ability.
Behaviours:
- Applies market and business insights in order to drive organizational objectives.
- Forms, develops, and leads a group of individuals toward the achievement of a common team objective.
- Creates an environment that fosters and nurtures a culture of creativity which drives success.
- Thinks and plans strategically, focusing on the long-term goals and objectives of the organization.
- Develops plans and prioritizes initiatives that align to the organizational goals and objectives.
- Understands and navigates dynamics created by processes, systems, and people.
- Assesses and improves the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of various work processes.
- Quickly adapts and acquires new knowledge, skills, and competencies in a rapidly changing environment.
- Interprets and simplifies complex and contradictory information when resolving organizational problems.
Preference will be given, but not limited to candidates from designated groups in terms of the Employment Equity Act.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
