Purpose:
Responsible for the Product Creation of a broad portfolio of Lifestyle footwear silhouettes. Is able to lead topics related to technical, product constructions, materials, process-oriented, speed to market, driving efficiency and delivering margin expectations. Drives the process and is responsible for initiating and managing projects. The role requires strong cross functional managing abilities and collaboration including interactions with Product Marketing, Design, T1, T2 factories, suppliers, and Sourcing.
Key Accountabilities:
- Ensures all product briefs are executed and sample making milestones are achieved in a fast paced creation process and establishes better working practices to advance processes
- Drives collaboration with Global Lifestyle footwear Creation Centers, Design, Development, Sourcing, T1/T2 Supplier
- Builds close working relationship with T1 factories & suppliers generating new working practices to advance delivery against timelines
- Manages and develops relations with T2 supply base to support localization, speed to market, meeting material pricing targets and materials quality
- Ability to Innovate across lifestyle footwear needs such as product constructions, comfort concepts, materials, product closures, seasonal executions and solutions
- Researches/formulates options to deliver improved price to value outcomes
- Devises and drives the product process and leverages category sourcing strategy to deliver gross margin/ profitability objectives
- Nurtures, guides and challenges x-functional departments to ensure product excellence
- Develops and improves processes with a goal to drive leading product process with speed and efficiency. Always innovating with speed and flexibility
- Generates and provides technical support and training for junior members within the organization
Knowledge Skills and Abilities:
- Extensive footwear product knowledge scope across a variety of lifestyle silhouettes with experience in development, working knowledge of product marketing, costing, materials and how to work best with T1 and T2 suppliers
- Ability to work with and influence all levels of the organization as well as aligning external partners with the company strategy (factory, suppliers)
- Comprehensive knowledge of shoe building from design sketch phase to ex-factory
- Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit and inventory (directional & commercially driven trade channel)
- Thrive in a fast paced product creation environment
- Knowledge of footwear concepts in construction/development a necessity
- Good numerical skills with the ability to negotiate
- Seeks to redefine processes and find new and innovative angles to product creation with an emphasis on speed
- Ability to effectively present to groups, including members of all organizational levels
- Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
- Ability to travel internationally for consumer trend research and internal meetings and presentations
Qualifications (Minimum required education and experience):
- College or university degree
- Minimum 5 years related experience
- Equivalent education and/or experience may be substituted for degree
- Experience in Footwear Development, Sourcing a necessity and marketing an advantage