Associate Director

This is an exciting opportunity to join ZALORA’s leadership team. Our Buyers are at the heart of our business and at ZALORA you would be leading the most sizable and highest potential category of the group in a fast, dynamic, and exciting environment.

Reporting directly to the Chief Commercial Officer (or overall head of purchasing and assortment strategy), the Category Associate Director - Sports & Footwear would develop and implement the strategy for the most sizable category of the business to help ZALORA provide the best of high street fashion for consumers in Asia.

The Category Associate Director - Sports & Footwear would lead a team of experienced Category Managers, Senior and Junior Buyers, Planners and Sales Planners (Merchandisers) as well as work closely with the other functions of the firm (marketing, finance and operations) to have a fully functional business unit.

The team will be open located in Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia with team members also in other countries (Malaysia, Hong Kong, UK) reporting remotely into the Category Associate Director.

We are looking for an experienced leader who is commercial, strategic, with a great eye and passion for fashion, willing to problem solve and constantly build and grow the business.

**Responsibilities**:

- Own the P&L of the Sports & Footwear category accounting for significant annual budget across our regional footprint: be responsible for the overall performance of the category from topline sales and revenue to post marketing and markdowns cost profitability, as well as optimizing cash flow and inventory turn.
- Drive, manage and execute the Buying/Assortment Strategy for the Sports & Footwear category across multiple markets in Asia. Developing the category across all subcategories and trends.
- Lead the team through bottom up brand plans building the category with strategic thinking, strong rational and analysis of historical performance to prepare and execute the buying budgets.
- Ensure alignment between production, marketing, purchasing and logistics to offer the best possible representation.
- Establish and manage key supplier relationships, locally and internationally, to ensure optimum speed, quality and terms of business, championing brand development and acquisition.
- Create and curate a commercial and desirable product offering that positions us as a fashion destination, ensuring alignment with our overarching customer profiles.
- Maximize company sales budgets, margin targets and operating profit through the effective direction and management of all aspects of category buying.
- Identify ‘white spaces’ and key growth categories as well as key rising trends to ride in the region.
- Effectively lead, coach and inspire a team of sub-category managers, planners and buyers - ensuring they have clear direction, are motivated and being consistently developed and up
- skilled.
- Comprehensive understanding of global trends, how this translates over time to product and our markets.

**Requirements**:

- BA or BSc from a reputable institution. A Master would be a plus.
- Previous experience in Retails Fashion, preferably Fashion Ecommerce.
- Experience in managing multi-labels.
- Understanding of Buying and Trading in a pure play e-Commerce environment.
- Strong numeracy and analytical abilities.
- The ability to craft and execute buying strategies.
- Exceptional relationship management and negotiation skills.
- Hands-on, extremely pragmatic and entrepreneurial.
- Broad, exploratory and structured thinker.
- Strong Management and leadership skills.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
- Senior presentation skills - someone who can meet senior representatives of brands across the world.
- High personal standards for the quality of execution.
- Thrives in an uncompromisingly fast paced, pragmatic, ever-changing and hard-working culture.

Want to stay ahead with our developments? Follow us at our **LinkedIn** page and know more about us from our **career website**.

**The ZALORA Story**

ZALORA exists for the millions of fashion consumers in Asia seeking a shopping experience focused on their unique styles, trends and fit. As Asia’s leading online fashion destination, ZALORA was founded in 2012 and has a presence in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia & Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. ZALORA’s localised sites offer an extensive collection of top international and local brands as well as our own in-house labels across apparel, shoes and accessories for men and women. ZALORA is part of Global Fashion Group, the world's leader in online fashion for emerging markets.

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