Head of Buying - Maternity Cover

Acne Studios is looking for a Head of Buying for a 9 months maternity cover. The main mission for this role is to lead & co-ordinate the day to day output of the global buying team, ensuring all product opportunities are maximised, stock/ inventory is optimised, with a focus on full price sales. The Head of Buying puts the customer first and focuses on pushing the maximum sales potential for the brand.

The role

In this role you will oversee and coordinate day to day activities for the global buying team. You will act as a role model and steer the team to be agile, open minded and resolve challanges as they come. The role will be based at our HQ in Stockholm and seasonal travel and showroom presence will be expected. For this role we are looking for someone who can start at the earliest in april. 

Main responsibilities:

• Ensuring buying team push the reach of the brand, through inspired assortments and optimised sizing
• Ensure the team have a customer centric approach, understanding and covering local & global product needs
• Ensure team deliver the best ST% result, maximising full price sales
• Ongoing partnership with Planning dept for optimised budget, sales & stock planning
• Sign off the seasonal buying and order placement
• Co-ordinating in-season repeats to optimise sales and stock
• Strong collaboration with Marketing and Visual Merchandising to deliver top tier execution of activities, focusing on sales and brand building
• Frequent liaison with Merchandising & Design to ensure that valuable collection feedback is gathered and shared to inform and influence future collection building
• Working with +50 retail stores across EMEA, US and APAC – gathering collection feedback and maximising sales opportunities
• Working with digital sales channels to maximise full reach of brand
• Work on & present product/sales reports with the wider business; weekly, monthly & seasonal frequency
• Developing team competence through ongoing coaching and performance related development plans

You:

To be successful in this role we believe that you have:

• Minimum +5 years buying or merchandising experience within fashion retail
• Strong understanding of the international fashion market
• Competence working with RTW and accessories
• Strong competence of Microsoft Office, in particular Excel and Powerpoint
• Solution oriented & highly collaborative across departments
• Comfortable with problem solving and always having an agile and open mind
• Able to take qualitative insights and transform into strategies & actions
• Excellent team leader, able to always support your team with positive and creative solutions
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English 

We may perform background checks for this position.

Acne Studios is a Swedish fashion house with a multidisciplinary approach and global presence. Founded in 1996, the focus is on elevated ready-to-wear and accessories. Through founder and Creative Director Jonny Johansson’s interest in art, photography, music, architecture, and contemporary culture, Acne Studios has found an alternative path to fashion and creativity. Acne Studios has seen double-digit growth for most years since its inception with a turnover of >250 EUR million.

Acne Studios operates through own distribution channels and wholesale partners with >60 own stores worldwide, including flagship stores in Stockholm, Paris, Milan, London, New York City, Los Angeles, Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing. Each store has a unique distinctive character, yet with common key design elements reflecting the Acne Studios brand identity.

The Acne Studios Head Office is located in Stockholm, in a brutalist masterpiece that formerly housed the Czechoslovakian Embassy. Completely restored to facilitate a fashion school-like atmosphere, the overall aesthetic is again a reflection of the Acne Studios brand identity, telling the story of its history and global vision. Acne Studios also operates offices in Paris, New York, Shanghai, and Empoli outside Florence.

Following its ambitious sustainability work and focus on supplier relationships and longevity, Acne Studios has been independently verified as “Leader” by Fair Wear Foundation for six consecutive years. Acne Studios is an official member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode since 2013.