Levi Strauss & Company:
Retail Trading Manager - Central Europe Job in Zaventem, VT

JOB DESCRIPTION We believe that clothes — and how you make them — can make a difference. Since 1853, we’ve been obsessed with innovation to meet people’s needs. We invented the first blue jean. And we reinvented khaki pants. We pioneered labor and environmental guidelines for our manufacturing partners. And we work to build sustainability into everything we do. A company doesn’t last 160 years by standing still. It endures by reinventing itself, striving to delight its consumers, winning in the marketplace, and by remaining true to its values. Put simply, if you’re looking for a new opportunity, this is a great place to grow your career. We are looking for a Retail Trading Manager focusing on Central Europe based in our European headquarters in Diegem, Belgium. In this role you have responsibility for providing leadership and direction to the Geo Retail Planning, In Season Trading, Allocation and Customer Service Organization. You will act as a trusted advisor to the Regional Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management organization to contribute to brand/category strategy and vision and collaborate with retail key stakeholders in the region (Managing Directors, Retail Directors) to ensure business plan targets are achieved. You’ll also work together with the retail merchandising team driving end-to-end strategy execution and line productivity at the category/geo level. The Retail Trading Manager has accountability to develop, execute and communicate the strategic retail merchandise financial plans that support the company’s financial, product and marketing objectives. Responsibilities: • Design product planning opportunities strategy to achieve retail financial objectives of the geo region • Ensure that retail financial objectives align with product opportunities • Lead and drive end-to-end execution of getting the right product in the right store at the right time though effective team collaboration and communication within planning, allocation and customer service (CS) • Collaborate with Retail Merchandise to develop regional category productivity targets and facilitate regional market intelligence sharing and providing directional guidance that will achieve financial success • Develop retail sales, gross margin, and inventory plans that support the company’s profit objectives • Develop retail bottom-up planning delivering to line productivity and used to inform financial and inventory decisions • Ensure consistent in-season allocation & replenishment by collaborating with inventory management • Build in season trading mentality across the team and support them in building strong commercial understanding supporting their decisions • Define Retail end-to-end planning, allocation & CS strategy and communicate at CLT level • Recommend profitable inventory decisions at Regional S&OP meeting • Conduct quantitative analysis and insights to optimize line profitability—monetize new opportunities and identify risks • Manage in-season profitability to achieve or exceed seasonal performance at Geo / Category level, provide support on discount strategy and define action to improve results. • Define and execute inventory strategies for retail stores that optimize inventory and sales opportunity • Define high level LTS strategy and alignment with franchise partners • Provide Regional Retail Lead with necessary insights to inform the Regional Integrated Business Reviews • Regularly visit retail stores to gather market intelligence and reflect key take outs in pre-season and in-season trading strategy Requirements: • Master degree in Finance, Retail Management, Business Management • Minimum 7 years of merchandise planning experience • Minimum 3 years of supervisory/management experience • Strong analytical skills to interpret meaningful themes from quantitative data • Proven experience in leading a team and working in an ambiguous and constantly changing environment • Comfortable with Microsoft Excel • Fluent in English, written and spoken • Able to use rigor and logic to solve problems with effective solutions • Proactive mindset; ability to anticipate risks and identify contingency plans and processes to prevent disruptions when risks occur • Self-motivated, actively takes initiative to learn and drive the business • Ability to build constructive and effective relationships with a broad, diverse group of business partners, mainly the cross-functional team • Ability to influence cross-functional partners • Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to work with diverse teams. • Ability to adjust communication style in order to provide information and direction in an effective manner Travel: 15% (market visit, customer or internal meetings) What we offer: • An opportunity to build a career with a world-renowned, historic fashion brand that lives by its values • A chance to drive real change in an organization undergoing significant growth • A diverse, international environment of smart, inspiring people • A fun, creative, modern casual dress culture LOCATIONZaventem, BelgiumFULL TIME/PART TIMEFull time