The Company:

JD Sports is a sports fashion, multichannel retailer of branded sports and lifestyle, casual wear, combining globally recognized brands including Nike, adidas, New Balance, The North Face, also strong private label brands such as Supply & Demand, Pink Soda Sport to provide an elevated consumer experience. JD Sports is an industry leading retail business which combines the best of physical and digital retail to give a compelling consumer proposition which enables its customers to shop seamlessly across all channels. JD Sports now has over 900 stores across 21 countries worldwide.

Summary:

As the VP DMM for Mens Footwear you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the mens footwear buying & merchandising strategy to ensure we offer the most compelling, on-trend right footwear assortment across our retail and omni-channel experiences. This position develops and maintains strong vendor alliances and market relationships to ensure JD/Finish Line offers a differentiated assortment of trend-right consumer demanded sports fashion products.

As a key member of the leadership team, the VP DMM Footwear will work collaboratively with the SVP, GMM Buying, VP DMM’s and other senior management of the JD/Finish Line team. The role will drive vision and strategy for the upcoming assortment architecture and trend awareness to transform consumer feedback and sports fashion footwear fashion trends into winning product assortments. The VP DMM is responsible for researching market trends and competitive activity, recognizing opportunities to keep driving the business forward. You will expected to provide guidance and direction reflecting good business judgement, strategic vision and expertise, by performing the following duties:

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Defines and executes unique men’s footwear merchandising strategy which aligns the overall business objectives and customer preferences. Fully maximise the breadth of the assortment and bring big ideas to fully engage the brick and mortar and digital consumer.
• Collaborates with the leadership team to establish strategic plans and focused objectives to support Omni Channel growth and development.
• Directs the development and implementation of merchandise strategies and tactical plans for multiple product categories and new business opportunities that arise from sales performance and trend analysis.
• Leads the mens footwear buying team to curate a diverse assortment of seasonal footwear products ensuring alignment with brand positioning, customer demographics, market trends to deliver optimum sales and margin results.
• Manages vendor relationships, collaborates closely with the brands for strategic plan, foster strong partnerships to ensure timely delivery of products. Negotiates contracts with vendors including assisting and coaching team members in their negotiations.
• Drive innovation and differentiation in product assortment through strategic partnerships, exclusive collaborations, and brand development initiatives.
• Influences key allocation decisions that impact the organization’s ability to execute on strategic goals.
• Works with planning to achieve effective merchandiser control for replenishment of key items, appropriate open -to-buy and product turnover.
• Leads and challenges the merchandising and planning teams to appropriately price products to deliver on sales, markdown and profit goals.
• Monitor sales, inventory and margin in season by department, compared to financial targets, re- forecasting as business dictates, settling realistic expectations and reacting where appropriate.
• Support, embrace, grow and drive continuous improvement.
• Drives business strategies through partnerships with external vendors, store operations, planning, marketing and digital teams.
• Represent the vision and strategy of the merchant team in any cross functional initiative.
• Relies extensively on experience and judgement to lead the team to accomplishing financial goals.
• Ensure vision and product direction is communicated to store operations and visual merchandising teams. Aim for high standards for merchandise in store presentation and featured product through close coordination with VM teams.
• Trains teams and hold accountable to inventory management, ensures orders are placed in a timely manner, inventory is aligned with selling, goods flow appropriately managed.
• Strategic and provide direction to the team on balancing the risk versus reward on new opportunities and product introductions.
• Provides guidance to the team and monitors inventory results as related to assortments, manages clearance and distressed inventory.
• Evaluates associates performance regarding performance management, training, staffing rewards/recognition and associate development.
• Develops a Buying team to improve skills in areas of decision making, negotiation, financial analysis, strategic planning, etc. Encourage an environment to discuss opinions, conversations and share knowledge.
• Responsibilities also include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees, addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Additional duties and projects as required.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic Leadership
• Leading & Motivating
• Managing for results

Required Skills:

• Excellent financial and analytical skills
• Strong negotiating skills
• Excellent leadership and communication skills with experience in leading and developing high performing teams
• Strong understanding and knowledge of market trends, competitive arena, consumer behaviour in the footwear industry
• Experience in the sports and fashion retail industry
• Preferred but not essential - Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in the field of merchandising, buying or equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least 10 years applicable progressive experience, including 5 years’ experience in a Buying role with an emphasis on leadership and driving results
• Proven track record of managing, directing and promoting talent
• Demonstrate ability to partner with business peers to drive desired business results.
• Fully literate in Microsoft Office: Powerpoint, Word, Excel
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, dynamic environment and effectively manage competing priorities

What we will offer you:

• Development linked to your role with the business
• An opportunity to work across multi-brands and for a global powerhouse

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sit for more than 6 hours per shift
• Use hands to finger, handle and feel
• Reach with hands and arms
• Talk and/or hear
• Walk or move from one location to another
• Occasionally may need to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, or crouch
• Lift and/or move up to 10 pounds regularly and up to 25 pounds occasionally
• Punctuality and regular attendance consistent with the company’s policies are required for the position.
• Average work week is 50-60 hours, which can vary depending on business needs.
• The work environment for this position is a moderately noisy office setting.

Required travel may be up to 25% (by air or land), depending upon business need. The company reserves the right to modify this job description with or without notice. Employees may be asked to perform additional duties outside of normal job scope on a temporary basis per company policy.