WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH

You will report to the Senior Director Merchandise WE and be a key member of the Merchandise Leadership Team (MLT) and Converse Extended LT (ELT).

You will be working closely with your (5) direct reports, and the Brand Merchandise Director (upstream) and team, to maximize the opportunity for Converse within the marketplace & ensure our line plan serves the market opportunity.

Additionally, you will be part of the W.E sales leadership team and a key stakeholder of the broader W.E sales team.

You will have interactions with global stakeholders on various topics to support strategic accounts within your portfolio.

You will be account facing with strategic partners during Product Engagement and KAPM, to deliver long term product strategy, taking insights and learnings that support our line planning process and maximize the opportunity for Converse in WE and our partners.

The role is based in Converse EHQ, Hilversum, The Netherlands and travel is expected to meet our retail partners across Western Europe and Globally.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

At Converse we believe that those independent enough not to follow will move the world forward. We’re a place to explore potential, break barriers and push the edges. A company that’s inspired by what came before us but even more excited about what’s coming next and somewhere YOU get to write the next chapter of a 100+ year old story.

We look for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Our culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination with each person bringing their authentic selves to a challenging and constantly evolving world to push things forward.

Do you have experience in Marketplace, Merchandising, Sales and Team Leadership, a passion for fashion, lifestyle, streetwear and sports retail across digital and physical formats, and an interest in youth culture? Then the great news is that we have the perfect role for you!

The Marketplace Merchandising Director, Western Europe (wholesale) plays a vital role in connecting the Merchandising and Sales teams, ensuring seamless execution of product strategies that cater to the needs of Converse creators within the marketplace.

The MPM Director will create and cultivate strong relationships with our sales team and wholesale partners to understand their needs and create assortment frameworks to serve the dimensions of the marketplace, with the end in mind.

The MPM Director will be an expert in working the matrix cross functionally to unlock the full potential of the Converse brand, while leading the merchandise strategy and vision for the wholesale part of our business.  They will be able to create a high-performance environment through motivating and growing our talent.

Experience and Qualifications:

To excel in this role, a Marketplace Merchandising Director should possess:

• Leadership skills: Ability to lead, motivate and guide cross-functional teams.

• A track record of developing talent & experience in goal setting for your direct reports.

• 5+ years’ experience of team leadership with two or more direct reports.

• 10+ years’ experience within a merchandising and or sales role.

• Experience working within youth culture and/or fashion/street style spaces.

• Effective collaboration in high profile matrix-oriented environment across various business functions.

• A proven ability of building strong relationships with external stakeholders.

• Marketplace expertise: Deep understanding of marketplace trends, competitors, and customer needs.

• Account facing experience, managing partner relationship and delivering commercial outcomes.

• Strong analytical skills, and an ability to analyze market trends, sales data, and consumer behavior. The capability to use date to inform business decision

• Strong commercial acumen with experience of financial forecasting.

• Experience translating consumer and competitor insights to inform the future line plan.

• Strategic thinking: Ability to develop and execute comprehensive product strategies.

• Passion for the Converse brand and culture

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

The Marketplace Merchandising Director plays a pivotal role in driving business growth and profitability by:

• Leading the marketplace merchandising team, responsible for the seasonal assortment creation for key dimensions of the marketplace. 

• Aligning product strategies with enterprise goals and CSR. Ensuring that products meet customer needs and sales teams have the necessary tools to succeed.

• Create the future: The MPM Director is an integral part of the W.E, Merchandise Leadership Team (MLT) representing the strategic partners strategic position and business goals with the aim to continue to deliver Converse relevance and profitable growth across the marketplace.

• Optimizing product assortments: Maximizing sales and profitability through effective assortment planning and an end in mind approach.

• Enhancing customer experience: Delivering a seamless and cohesive customer experience across all touchpoints of the game plan.

• Informing business decisions: Providing data-driven insights to inform product strategies, pricing, and line planning processes.

• Process enhancement and execution: You will implement processes across the marketplace merch teams, to cascade end in mind assortment strategies and ensure consistency on deliverables, role/responsibilities, functional excellence and talent development.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Set the future: leverage the W.E Converse Corporate Strategy to build a long-term strategic merchandise plan and vision for the dimensions of the wholesale marketplace.

• Lead the Merchandising offence for the wholesale Marketplace:  Collaborate with sales on a consolidated and strategic view of the partners marketplace position against key franchises.

• Engage with strategic wholesale accounts through product engagement and KAPM to understand capacity providing relevant and tangible insights that inform line planning.

• Define assortment frameworks to serve and grow across the key dimensions of the marketplace.

• Leadership - Lead the marketplace merchandising teams through the game plan process and partner cross functionally with Marketing, Planning and Sales to deliver a premium GTM process for wholesale partners.

• Grow our talent: to become leaders of the future in alignment with their career development plans.

• Collaborate: across the Converse business within Merchandising, Sales, Business planning, Go to Market, Retail Marketing and Finance teams to achieve our business goals.

• Team Player: be a key member of the MERCHANDISE leadership team providing insights and support when needed