Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always been colorful, bold, and optimistic. Today, it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, home décor, and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, Kate Spade New York offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles.
Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.
A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.
Primary Purpose:
The Manager Buying, Full Price will lead the strategic and operational execution of product investment for all categories, driving in-season performance against financial targets for Full Price in region. This role will play a pivotal role in the implementation of brand, product and planning strategies. Reports to Director Buying, Retail, Ecomm, WHS, Outlet, Kate Spade
The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Buying / Planning to:
- Manage the strategic and operational execution of product investment for all Full Price product categories, driving in-season performance against sales and margin targets
- Create assortments to ensure cohesive investments reflective of regional performance to date and drive customer motivation to deliver AOP. Individually buying and owning leather goods categories, and overseeing all other categories.
- Lead Store product investments which optimize drive consumer engagement in stores partnering with relevant cross functional partners
- Lead product investment with taking into consideration regional market needs and trading landscape in line with brand directives
- Lead the product selection and SKU investment of the OTB to meet financial targets whilst reviewing business risks and opportunities
- Delivering seasonal buy reviews, hindsight meetings, and management of seasonal milestone calendar
- Lead weekly team WSRM, delivering financial overview with clear strategic actions and present to Director and Vice President – partnering with cross functional partners to execute
- Drive performance against sales and margin targets; maximize in-season opportunities and affect future inventory minimizing risk and potentialising opportunities and propose to Line Manager trading activities in addition to seasonal promotional calendar as part of weekly trade in line with AOP/ SMI targets
- Analyze and interpret product performance, customer feedback, consumer trends, competitive landscape and local market knowledge to share with Global Merchandising – drive regional opportunities and provide competitor activity to support
- Partner with Inventory Planner to review on hand inventory and own driving activities to facilitate meeting Global WOH / turn targets proposing actions with timelines to support
- Mentor/develop Assistant Buyer and intern support, being able to display leadership qualities that support Director
- Support wholesale investments through sharing recommended assortments and developing product tools for market. Sharing investment needs and product requests to the Global Merchandising team. Partner with Wholesale sales team to lead coordination of go to market assets and lead for Intl Wholesale accounts
- Partner with Allocator to drive activity to support allocations – taking into consideration floorset launch dates and peak trading
- Partner with Inventory Planner, Kate Spade annually and monthly to review AOP and any changes reflective of sales and markets trends and propose shifts for buys to ensure AOP targets are met
- Build/Maintain close relationships with key partners in region and Globally
- Instil best practice, ways of working within the team - driving productivity and understanding of
- Ad-hoc analysis and scenario building to support trading decisions / future needs etc.
The accomplished individual will possess:
- Minimum 7 years buying and planning experience gained in ideally Outlet environment
- Multi category experience, handbag/accessories experience highly desired
- Numerate with strong analytical skills and financial acumen, operates with clear command of the key financial drivers to potentialise the business
- Working knowledge of Cora / SAP is highly advantageous
- Advanced computer skills in Excel
- Management supervisory experience
- Knowledge of the fashion or accessories luxury goods market
- Experience of working with a global company / brand
- Experience supporting the European market
An outstanding professional will:
- Use market and industry insights to inform strategy and approach to stay competitive and be customer centric in mindset
- Data driven in approach
- Solution orientated in focus
- Translate priorities and focus team energies
- Strategic thinking skills with strong business acumen
- Ability to make prudent decisions under pressure and deadlines
- Build effective regional and global partnerships and interact successfully with diverse individuals at all levels
What Kate Spade can offer you:
Hybrid working (3 days working from the Office, 2 days remote)
Option to finish early on a Friday (Flex Fridays)
1 Paid Volunteering Day per year and opportunities to volunteer with global projects
Learning & Development opportunities
Internal mobility & career progression
Regular Social Events - Seasonal & Cultural
Equity Inclusion & Diversity initiatives which include employee resource groups & regional inclusion councils
Other benefits include:
25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays
Annual Incentive Plan (company performance bonus)
Multi brand discount up to 50% off – Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman
Private Healthcare with health assessment (Bupa)
Bupa rewards - Financial wellbeing support and wellness discounts
Private Dental Cover
Eyecare vouchers
Employee Assistance Program
Employer Pension Contribution
Gym discount
Interest free season ticket loan
Cycle to work scheme
Our Competencies for All Employees:
- Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
- Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
- Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
- Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
- Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
- Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
- Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
Our Competencies for All People Managers:
- Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
- Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
- Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
Kate Spade is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant's or employee's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under the consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Kate Spade at www.katespade.com.