Job Purpose:Responsible for managing the brand philosophy and the product life cycle, inclusive of designing, buying, retail planning and creativity, thereby optimizing sales, maximizing profitability, and enhancing brands reputation.Minimum Requirements:FDDI/NIFT Graduate8 years of work experience in Retail BuyingStrong product development experience in related categoryExpertise on MS Excel for budgeting purposes· Knowledge of footwear retail within the region.· Knowledge and ability to visualize and anticipate the needs of the business.· Knowledge and understanding of fashion, trends, market shifts etc.· Buying process and practices including multiple critical path management.· Understanding the planning and merchandising functionKey Accountabilities: -Buying & Category Management· Lead and manage the entire buying process, across Ladies brands and product lines, in order to ensure right and commercially viable product ranges, customer satisfaction, improvement on year-on-year sales, margins and stock levels.· Inspire the buying team to think creatively, in order to deliver newness in the product range.· Oversee category management in order to ensure maximization of sales and profitability.· Manage financial goals including pre-season plans, in-season projections, open-to-buy etc. in order to support retail requirements, whilst maintaining alignment with financial parameters.· Lead the process of aligning the merchandising planners with the OTB to ensure that the right assortment is delivered to the stores.Product Development· Oversee and guide the category throughout the entire product creation process, ensuring alignment with key deliverables and milestones to meet specified factory deadlines.· Essential to thoroughly analyze and evaluate briefs, design tech packages, models, and samples. Additionally, identifying potential concerns related to construction, materials, fit, or cost is a crucial aspect.· Playing a critical role in team coordination, managing relationships, facilitating reviews, overseeing delivery, and securing approvals.· As an integral member of the Ladies team, involvement in providing valuable insights, suggestions, and information to ensure the timely delivery of quality products at the right cost is essential.Stock & Cost Optimization· Manage the inventory (including stock loss mitigation, booked inventory budget, terminal stock etc.) and maintain optimum stock levels in order to ensure that retail requirements are met within the given financial parameters.· Manage centralized bulk buying, margins, markdowns etc. as well as select vendor mix in order to optimize costs.Vendor & Order Management· Establish and manage relationships with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure financially beneficial partnerships through maximizing the ranges, sales, profit margin and delivery within budget.· Liaise with logistics to monitor supplier efficiency and effectiveness in order to ensure that potential risks and delays are identified, and appropriate remedial action taken.· Place orders and ensure the merchandise is delivered on a timely basis, and in line with the service level agreements in order to ensure compliance with buying plans.Analysis And Intelligence· Analyze and monitor reports, MIS analytics etc. based on actual sales, forecasts, inventory checks, replenishment needs etc. in order to accurately forecast and meet the needs of the business.· Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats vis-a-vis competition and market conditions in order to identify business opportunities.· Analyze customer buying trends, competitors, and market activities in order to predict future trends and seasonal product requirements.Qualifications-
