What You'll Be Doing
1. Buying & Category Management
- Process Management: Lead and manage the entire buying process across Kids brands and product lines to ensure right and commercially viable product ranges, customer satisfaction, and year-on-year growth in sales, margins, and optimal stock levels.
- Innovation: Inspire the buying team to think creatively to deliver continuous newness in the product range.
- Financial Accountability: Oversee category management to maximize sales and profitability. Manage financial goals including pre-season plans, in-season projections, and Open-to-Buy (OTB) to support retail requirements within budget parameters.
- Cross-Functional Alignment: Lead the process of aligning merchandising planners with the OTB to ensure the right assortment is delivered to stores.
2. Product Development
- Timeline Management: Oversee and guide the category throughout the entire product creation process, ensuring alignment with key deliverables and milestones to meet specified factory deadlines.
- Technical Evaluation: Thoroughly analyze and evaluate design briefs, tech packages, models, and samples to identify potential concerns related to construction, materials, fit, or cost.
- Collaboration & Review: Play a critical role in team coordination, managing relationships, facilitating reviews, overseeing delivery, and securing approvals.
- Commercial Insights: Provide valuable insights, suggestions, and market information to ensure the timely delivery of quality products at the right cost.
3. Stock & Cost Optimization
- Inventory Control: Manage inventory health (including stock loss mitigation, booked inventory budget, and terminal stock management) to maintain optimum stock levels aligned with financial parameters.
- Commercial Metrics: Manage centralized bulk buying, margins, and markdowns, while selecting an optimal vendor mix to maximize cost efficiency.
4. Vendor & Order Management
- Strategic Partnerships: Establish and manage relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure financially beneficial partnerships, maximizing product ranges, sales, and profit margins.
- Supply Chain Monitoring: Liaise with logistics to monitor supplier efficiency and effectiveness, proactively identifying potential risks/delays and implementing remedial action.
- Execution: Place orders and ensure merchandise is delivered in a timely manner, strictly adhering to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and buying plans.
5. Analysis & Market Intelligence
- Data-Driven Decisions: Analyze and monitor reports and MIS analytics (actual sales, forecasts, inventory checks, replenishment needs) to accurately forecast and meet business requirements.
- SWOT Analysis: Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats vis-à-vis competition and market conditions to identify new business avenues.
- Trend Forecasting: Analyze customer buying trends, competitor strategies, and shifting market dynamics to predict future trends and seasonal product requirements.
What Will Make You Successful: Education, Skills & Experience
- Education: Relevant qualifications in retail, design, or preferably footwear.
- Experience: Proven buying and product development experience within the kids footwear category is a must.
- Regional Expertise: Solid knowledge of footwear retail dynamics within the Middle East region.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong knowledge of the buying process, practices, and multiple critical path management. Ability to visualize and anticipate evolving business needs.
- Technical Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of product development, manufacturing timelines, market trends, and competitive shifts.
