Senior Buying Manager

At Sportscene, we believe that we inspire the love of sneakers and street culture.  We blend sports and street brands that matter, creating a unique environment for street-conscious youth where Sneakers are King.

An opportunity has become available on our buying team for a Buying Manager focused on Private Label Brands.

This position requires a high-energy, self-motivated individual with strong people management skills and the ability to develop and manage key strategic own-brand partnerships.  The successful applicant must be comfortable with working in a fast-paced environment and be results-driven.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Buying Manager, your key responsibilities will be:

Strategy Development and Execution 

• Develop and execute seasonal product strategies in line with the company strategy 

• Work closely with the Planning Manager to develop cohesive action plans to execute the brand strategy 

• Evaluate strategic progress and pivot where necessary to achieve strategic objectives

• Identify key macro and micro-economic trends that will impact on the implementation of the buying strategy and plan accordingly. 

Product Development 

• Own and manage the product development cycle from range conceptualisation to design, pre-production sample approvals and bulk production approvals.

• Manage the range architecture and price tiering of seasonal ranges ensuring a credible and balanced assortment is on offer across store grids and online channels. 

• Ensure relevant global trends are well represented in the range and aligned to customer preferences

• Ensure Authentic product execution in line with the brand ethos

• Deliver a clear value proposition in support of the brand positioning. 

• Sign off product strategy at various review stages in the product development process

KPI and Trade Management 

• Display a clear understanding of the business against weekly, monthly and seasonal sales performance to plan.

• Drive key action plans based on current performance to maximise sales, improve sales margin and minimize markdown.

• Drive an In-Season trade mentality in your buying team that displays agility and quick decision making to shift the outcome of sales.

• Manage key performance indicators including Sales, Sales Margin, Clearance and Stock Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Communication 

• Maintain a collaborative relationship with the planning, e- commerce, marketing and store operations teams to ensure cohesive execution of product strategies

• Provide guidance and support to the marketing team on product launches, promotions and product initiatives 

Supplier Management 

• Forge strategic partnerships with key suppliers by aligning the supply base to the business strategy 

• Evaluate and manage supplier performance on a regular basis and identify potential risks within the supplier loading.

• Negotiate with suppliers to achieve margin targets and improve lead time efficiency 

• Maintain strong relationships with existing vendors and explore opportunities for new partnerships

• Ensure Suppliers are compliant with the Group’s Social and Ethical requirements and contribute towards the brand’s sustainability strategy

Team Leadership and Talent Management 

• Ensure that assigned team is effectively resourced, directed, motivated and developed to enable team members to reach their full potential.

• Drive and develop the performance of the team with a view to optimise delivery and achievement of objectives whilst effectively managing performance issues or concerns

• Ensure learning and development opportunities are available to the team. 

• Cultivate a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous improvement within the team to optimise sales and deliver KPI’s.

• Mentor, Coach and develop the team to support their career development 

• Manage various functions within the buying department, including buying, design and quality assurance, and ensuring alignment across these functions.

Critical Path and Lead Time Management

• Ensure buying critical path aligns to the merchandise cycle to deliver the on-time launch of product.

• Evaluate buying process efficiency and evolve process accordingly to support faster and more accurate decision making 

• Constantly identify opportunities to reduce lead times

Project Management 

• Participate and align business projects to group strategic projects

• Implement and evolve key retail projects such as 3D, Sustainability and Quick Response 

Market Analysis 

• Conduct regular store and market visits to understand the competitor landscape and identify new opportunities for growth

Requirements

• A relevant tertiary qualification

• Minimum 3 years working experience at a management level, incl. people / team management

• Minimum 10 years relevant buying / merchandise experience is essential

• Proven track record in building and maintaining strategic supplier relationships

• Proven track record and ability to drive a merchandise strategy by demonstrating innovative and creative thinking

• Ability to persuade and influence both internal and external stakeholders

• Ability to work well under pressure and deliver to aggressive deadlines, incl. problem solving

• Exceptional analytical ability to effectively evaluate and drive functional KPIs, incl. sales growth, PIS, CSOH, input- and maintained margins, stock turn, clearance

• Strong written and verbal communication at all levels of organisation

• Proven leadership and People management ability

Preference will be given, but not limited to, candidates from designated groups in terms of the Employment Equity Act.