Senior Buying Manager: Relay Jeans

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.