Reporting into the Vice- President of Menswear Buying, the Director of Menswear Buying will work with a high performing Merchandising team and be responsible for shaping large scale projects to innovate the way the Merchandising department scales its business. In partnership with the Vice-President, Menswear Buying they will be accountable for inventory growth, sales, gross margin and overall profitability targets as established by the Vice-President, in conjunction with the Chief Merchandising Officer. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to navigate a matrixed organization at the senior leadership level by using their influence, strategic mindset and collaborative approach.

Responsibilities

Strategy 30%

• Partner across the organization to shape large scale projects that optimize the Merchandising teams performance and result in meeting department targets
• Develop and execute a merchandising strategy to operationalize the vision, collaborating with the Buying team and leveraging existing relationships, developing new opportunities, and using technology to rapidly scale the assortment
• Identify operational requirements and process improvements that would allow SSENSE to accelerate growth, and partner with technology and operations to implement the changes
• Partner with Logistics and Distribution Centre teams to establish best practices for the warehousing and distribution of new brand offerings while maintain strong profitability and order economics

People Leadership & Development 40%

• Build and promote a collaborative performance-driven culture across the Merchandising department which proactively underpins principles of inclusiveness, openness and respect.
• Lead a team of skilled Senior Buyers, Buyers, Assistant Buyers, and Coordinators
• Identify opportunities to build bench strength across all levels by building others’ capabilities to teach and transfer knowledge resulting in developing the team as a whole
• Actively partner with Merchandise Planning Leadership to closely track and drive overall performance, per segment and per buyer performance and implement action plans when deviations from plan occur
• Identify current gaps within the team/department skillset and structure and work with Senior Leadership on resourcing plans
• Establish the short term objectives for the department and ensure team’s are engaged towards achieving the department’s missions

Operations 30%

• Meet and surpass annual sales and profit targets according to established budgets
• Leverage technology to drive growth, improve the customer experience and deliver efficiencies
• Partner to shape the buying strategy in alignment with each collection/season to ensure the efficient acquisition of merchandise to maximize revenue growth and sales, and drive a strong replenishment program in key items
• Ensure the optimization of Buying operations to meet product quantity, quality, and procurement terms and ensure that stock is at optimum levels and write offs are minimized
• Build and manage supplier relationships to ensure service level agreement terms and conditions are optimized
• Review and approve team expenses staying within the departments annual budget
• In collaboration with Logistics identify opportunities to optimize processes and create efficiencies that result in a decrease in our time to list

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, MBA is preferred
• A minimum of 10+ years experience in Senior Management and/or Senior Buying position, preferably in a multi brand environment
• Demonstrated experience in managing a high performing buying team while meeting or exceeding all performance targets
• Direct buying and merchandising experience in Menswear, with a preference for experience in luxury
• Thorough understanding of the global Menswear landscape with pre-existing relationships with top suppliers
• Track record of executing high-value, highly strategic growth projects that challenge existing business models and build new solutions from the ground-up
• Outstanding analytics skills with ability to lead and drive complex analysis and provide specific guidance to analysts
• Superior verbal, presentation and written communication skills in English, French is an asset

Skills

• Ability to simplify complex concepts
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire
• Demonstrated ability to interface and negotiate with global vendors
• Ability to influence and collaborate in a matrixed organization with numerous stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability in working with Merchandising and Marketing counterparts
• Superior project management skills
• Ability to multi-task and excel under pressure
• Strong interpersonal skills with a natural ability to network and build relationships
• Excellent analytical skills with a strong understanding of retailing math