PURPOSE & OVERALL RELEVANCE FOR THE ORGANISATION
Heavily influence category direction and drive its implementation
Build strategies to win with consumer and market share
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage a team and develop their functional and social skills using available resources to create a top performing team
- Set and manage strategic category direction; ensure cross-functional alignment
- Collaborate with Creation Center Herzo (CCH) “in-line” teams to drive local product creation that amplifies, enhances, and localizes the global offer
- Collaborate with other Business Units to create and deliver cross-business unit product collections celebrating North American sport and cultural moments
- Engage with North American product merchandising organization to interpret and drive localized opportunities.
- Identify new business opportunities to drive innovation and / or commerciality
- Develop an "all for one attitude" within the team to ensure smooth cooperation with interlinked departments
- Have full understanding of the product creation process to drive it forward
- Be a role model for all team members in regards to strategic direction and the product creation process
- Show leadership through living the brand values while fostering a performance culture
- Manage and develop optimum relationship with cross-functional teams and with interlinked departments to enable an efficient product creation process
- Challenge the cross-functional team to ensure creation ofindustry leading products
- Analyse and report category business performance to ensure achievement of category KPIs
- Positively represent the category both internally and externally
- Work with the Merchandising, Sales, Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing teams throughout the season to define strategic marketing direction
- Be a competent partner for category and ranging discussions with markets and retailers
- Define projects to optimize category performance andsteer to conclusion
- Build an understanding of product information systems and the interlinking functions – clarity on respective timelines
AUTHORITIES
- Personnel managed – yes Budget managed – no
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
- Steer a strong relationship andensure constant dialogue/feedback with
- Your category across all functions, other categories and creation centers (if appl.)
- Global business units
- Peers across CCH and CCP/US Sports business units
- Cross-functional team (Design, Development, Merch, SPOM, Materials, Costing, Planning)
- Markets, local business units, local merchandising leads and relevant key retailers and Universities
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Manage a team to create industry leading products
- Inspire, coach and lead; set framework for performance and growth
- In-depth knowledge of respective product category
- Experience operating with accelerated/short-track creation calendars and SMUs will be valued
- Team builder with ability to influence others
- Ability to intake multiple sources of information/briefs and confidence and acumen to act decisively and with speed
- Advanced analytical skills, be solution driven and result oriented, strong business orientation
- Ability to thrive in a fast paced environment
- Strong communication skills
- Lateral thinking and challenge status quo
- Profound consumer, market and retail knowledge especially in regards to different needs of different countries/ regions
- Step up to conflicts and work towards a diplomatic solution
- Execute change management
- Cooperate effectively to maintain and develop trustful relationships
- Ability to travel
- Passion for sports
REQUISITE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- College degree, preferably in marketing/business /textile/fashion
- Minimum of 7 years Product Marketing experience with APP, FTW , ACC or comparable background
- Experience in managing and developing direct reports
- Strong, proven leadership skills
- Experience in trade or sales is helpful
- Fluent in English
- PC skills (MS Office programs)