Visual Merchandising Manager

OTB is an international fashion group comprising the iconic, unconventional brands Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor&Rolf. It also controls the Staff International and Brave Kid companies and holds a stake in American brand Amiri. OTB – short for "Only The Brave" – believes in the possibility of pushing beyond the frontiers of fashion and style to support the creativity of international talents and express in full the innovative spirit and uncompromising courage of its founder and chairman, Renzo Rosso. With more than 6,000 employees worldwide, the Group is founded on a digital approach centred on the consumer, a concrete long-term commitment to the creation of a sustainable, technologically driven business, and close attention to social issues through the OTB Foundation.

The Visual Merchandising Manager is responsible for the development and implementation of the visual merchandising program for OTB Mexico market. The manager must ensure that the key marketing and merchandising objectives are met on time, on budget, and are consistent with the strategy. The manager must analyze the customer and store needs in order to implement the communication and training programs.

Key Responsibilities:

Visual

• Manage daily visual activity
• Maintain visual merchandising installation schedule as defined in collaboration with OTB HQ retail team
• Coordinate shipping and packaging of the materials between HQ, warehouse and store.
• Ensure project and visual merchandising solutions are delivered on time within the cost and quality targets defined by the retail team
• Co-ordinate with OTB HQ retail team to create and develop ideas and brief for promotions, window and in-store merchandising.
• Provide monthly status report to the HQ Retail Manager
• Review the creative with the HQ Retail Manager

Operation & New Store Opening

• Develop a close relationship with the operation department to provide a consistent and focused link between Visual merchandising, Operation activity and the stores
• Create and develop procedure and policy in order to optimize and increase the process in stores
• Coordinate layout and design including signage, fixtures, merchandising, window in collaboration with the HQ and the Creative Service Department.
• Furnish information to the HQ to design new store and fixtures that will satisfy both the corporate and the customer needs.
• Head opening team and all aspect of visual development and installation during new store opening.

Budget Management & Planning

• Plans and controls departmental budget
• Plans of individual and day to day and annual work flow
• Establishes priorities and objectives
• Ensures assignments are delegated and apportioned accordingly to optimize output
• Determines resources and equipment required in function to enable objective achievement. Submits requests for resources as required.
• Attend seminars and trade shows, develop directives and communications in order to achieve and implement a better training program for the stores
• Plan periodic Store Visit Trips
• Manage daily merchandising activity
• Work closely with the buying office to ensure adequate product placement and coordination.

Marketing

• Develop a close relationship with the marketing department to provide a consistent and focused link between marketing & P.R. activity and the stores
• Analysis of external market & retail industry visual merchandising and marketing trends for evaluation within the business.
• Manage in store Marketing initiatives
• Schedule project development in advance of marketing calendar
• Monitor and track implementation
• Analyze results

Qualifications

• 4-year degree and/or equivalent combination of work and experience - Specialization not important
• Proven Market Knowledge
• Strong Product Trend Appreciation
• Feel for the Market
• Natural Merchant
• Accountable for making key business decisions with a large degree of autonomy, seeing those decisions through to successful conclusions
• Visual merchandising tools and techniques, including product placement, rigging and cross merchandising.
• Marketplace trends, in-store marketing strategy
• Excellent communication skills. Must be able to develop and articulate clearly division’s visual merchandising strategic and tactical needs