Job description

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Establish and manage the Sportswear apparel operations in Asia, ensuring strategic alignment and implementation across functions according to the overall Business Unit and Brand direction. Focus on SMUs and Rapid Creation to align with customer behavior and market trends. Leverage factory proximity to optimize processes. Collaborate on technical aspects, materials, and speed to market, driving efficiency and margins. Manage projects and cross-functional interactions with Design, Marketing, Sourcing, T1 & T2 ensuring strategic alignment and effective implementation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Change agent /management:  Be an integral part of a team that will establish the end-to-end process for this new operating model, emphasizing strong partnerships and collaboration with suppliers. Pilot the approach in the first season, ensuring seamless integration and optimization of processes to enhance speed, efficiency, and product value.
• Facilitate and coordinate large groups/meetings, whether from HQ or with sourcing/T1/T2 partners. Ensure effective communication, agenda setting, and follow-up actions. Drive alignment on project goals, timelines, and deliverables. Address and resolve any issues or roadblocks. Foster collaboration and maintain strong relationships across all stakeholders to achieve strategic objectives.

• Drive the product process to deliver against the brief, materials and design innovation, meeting gross margin/profitability objectives
• Manage tools, range plans and create product overviews during development processes and communicate changes to all involved partners, forecast consolidation and analyses
• Maintain all related product systems for designated area of the collection
• Seek continual improvement in processes with a goal to drive leading product process with speed and efficiency.
• Work cross functionally with key partners in sourcing/development/manufacturing to realize the vision of the products and category
• Analyze and report category performance and research competitive landscape
• Ensure all product milestones are achieved in a fast paced creation process.
• Present the range internally and to cross functional partners such as the factory group

Key Relation Ships:

• Global Strategic Hub
• Design
• Sourcing
• Factory Groups
• T2 Suppliers
• Subsidiaries
• Materials
• Costing
• Operations
• Go-To-Market

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit and inventory
• Broad apparel product knowledge across Apparel,  Pattern, Apparel construction, Material and Trims experience in development, working knowledge of product marketing, costing, materials and how to work best with T1 and T2 suppliers
• Comprehensive knowledge of product life cycle from design sketch phase to ex-factory
• Ability to work with and influence all levels of the organization as well as aligning external partners with APP strategy
• Thrive in a fast paced product creation environment
• Strong analytical & numerical skills with the ability to negotiate
• Effective presentation skills (both creating and presenting)
• Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Fluent in English (verbal and written)
• Ability to travel internationally for T1&T2 supplier visits and internal meetings and presentations

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree, preferably in marketing/business
• Minimum 5 years related experience in marketing;
• Experience in apparel development, creation and sourcing advantageous
• International marketplace experience and understanding