Category Sales Director

The organisation

Our client is an international sports brand. 

We’re looking for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Every employee brings inspiration and innovation to our business and we seek achievers, leaders and visionaries.

The position

This role will be responsible for creating, refining and executing our sales strategy.

You will be responsible for selling products to a defined set of accounts across Northern Europen, contributing to the development of the sales strategy at the account level to maximize profitability for the company and account. You will also be responsible for driving marketplace management for maximizing category business, and for driving the team to hit the seasonal revenue targets.

Tasks & responsibilities

• Manages team and sets team and  individual goals that align with department and function goals. Coaches staff, creates opportunities for staff development, makes hiring decisions, drives performance management, recognition and rewards. Develops team structure that facilitates and maximizes individual and team performance.
• At a Geography or Territory level, drive marketplace management for a specific category. Responsible for maximizing category business and driving the team to hit the seasonal revenue targets.
• Acts as the category commercial distribution expert and ensure distribution plans using good, better best as a framework are in place in key city and hot spot locations to maximize category opportunities. Direct and implement the category destination and category focus door strategy that meets overall category and market needs.
• Executes the Go To Market category strategies and provide expertise and direction to the team on the use of selling tools and all relevant materials needed to enable a successful seasonal sell-in. Ensure SIM, GTM and account meetings are prepared and executed at the highest level as planned and envisioned by the category and teams. Provide clear direction to the sales teams on the expectations and placement of the directed assortments in the marketplace. Track and monitor assortment placement with category destination doors, marketplace category in-store execution and category sell-thru.
• Works cross functionally with counterparts in account teams, brand, merchants and retail teams to ensure alignment on distribution and commercial priorities to ensure seasonal readiness at the key game plan checkpoints. Ensures account team alignment with category strategies and account category partners to include goaling processes.
• May directly manage category specialty sales force.

Overall

• Is accountable for the performance and results of multiple related units 
• Develops departmental plans, including business, production and/or organizational priorities
• Decisions are guided by resource availability and functional objectives
• Provides leadership to managers, supervisors and/or professional staff

Business Expertise

• Applies business and management expertise to achieve financial and operational objectives within or across disciplines or departments.

Delivering Solutions

• Identifies and resolves complex technical, operational and organizational problems

Impact

• Makes decisions guided by functional business plans that impact the support and funding of projects, products, services and/or technologies
• Is accountable for the performance and results of related disciplines or departments

Brand Protection/Promo

• Responsible for actions and managing risks that have shared or moderate impact on own business and have limited short-term impact on company assets
• Decisions and actions impacting company image require senior leadership oversight and/or are constrained by policies
• Performs work in support of brand plans; integrates company mission into daily work and planning; leads or participates in key initiatives, programs or products with moderate to wide visibility

Leadership

• Manages resources to ensure financial and operational objectives are met
• Develops departmental plans, including business, production and/or organizational priorities

Candidate profile

• At least 8 years of fashion/lifestyle and/or consumer products category account sales management
• Must have prior channel experience of working with premium / high-touch doors, particularly within the specialist lifestyle/streetwear area.
• Multi-country experience is also a necessity.
• Product development and/or merchandising experience is a huge benefit.
• Experience and track record of success leading teams working on elevating categories and/or brand initiatives.
• Proven track record increasing revenue by creating and driving a holistic business plans inclusive of short and long term business strategies and financial targets.
• Exceptionally strong verbal and written communication skills, with ability to clearly articulate goals and objectives. Able to influence both cross functionally and vertically within the industry and marketplace.

Interested?

Considering the current composition of the team, female candidates are preferred. If you recognise yourself in the candidate profile above, please respond using the form below.