, West Coast Retail Director, Los Angeles

Who we are: Innovative, uncompromising, romantic, provocative, upholding the power of emotion and the touch of the human hand: these are all elements that describe the fashion of the house of Alexander McQueen. The brand is synonymous with modern British couture, renowned for its strong identity and celebration of unbridled creativity. Integral to the McQueen culture is the juxtaposition between contrasting elements: femininity and masculinity, fragility and strength, tradition and modernity. Under the creative direction of Sarah Burton, the house produces critically acclaimed collections, driven by unparalleled vision and respect for craftsmanship. Burton was made Head of Design for womenswear in 2000 and was appointed Creative Director in 2010. The luxury brand was founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in 1992. Among the greatest fashion designers of his time, the legacy of his work lives on.

Your opportunity:

The West Coast Retail Director is a key leadership role within the retail management team. They are responsible for leading retail stores in delivering exceptional results and providing the highest standard of Alexander McQueen customer service, always thriving for excellence. They are responsible for defining and executing strategic action plans to ensure a strong control and deliverables of KPI’s, product strategies, and CRM activities. The West Coast Retail Director must identify key talent, be able to create and implement development plans, drive a strong induction, ongoing education, and maintain a strong presence within the market, with extraordinary passion for networking and serve as a brand ambassador.

The West Coast Retail Director will report to the VP of Retail, Americas based in Los Angeles.

How you will contribute:

Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Drive and maximize sales performance to consistently achieve the overall sales target objectives while ensuring operational integrity and profitability.
• Drive the implementation of company strategies by coaching, motivating, and supporting the store management teams; ensuring there is strong adoption of and understanding of company strategies.
• Conduct store visits on a consistent basis andevaluate stores in the following key areas - management of team, motivation of team, merchandise, brand knowledge, product knowledge, storytelling, selling strategies, client journeys, competitive knowledge, KPIs, FOH/BOH standards, processes, staff proficiency, business strategy and business tools; Develop store and process enhancements as needed.
• Assess individual performance within managed locations on an ongoing basis; partnering with Store Managers and HR team to manage underperformance and elevate overall talent profile.
• Follow all KPIs as regard to productivity, Client KPIs, cost control and inventory control (shrinkage) and develop measurable action plans to optimize growth.
• Analyze sales and the different levers in driving business to identify trends and opportunities and develop strategic action plans.
• Actively search and understand market competition with focus on gaining market share.
• Demonstrate effective managerial competencies: team building, collaboration, lead change initiatives.
• Periodic comprehensive reporting to management with strategic content.
• Support the creation of the budget and forecast sales and expense plan by store through close collaboration with Stores Managers, Finance, Business Planning, Merchandising, CRM, Comms.
• Promote brand awareness at the local levels, establish market/store presence, and capture competitive market share. Establish a baseline and benchmarks by market for optimal growth.
• Effectively develop and support in executing the strategies essential to peer groups objectives: visual merchandising, buying, CRM, wholesale, finance, HR. Form a strong partnership with HQ counterparts and be proactive in supporting the development and execution of WW retail strategies.

CRM - Customer Relationship Management:

• Lead partnership with CRM and retail marketing department to optimize deliverables of shared goals. Ensure that stores are on track with established CRM rollouts.
• Guide the managers towards a ROI through achieving targets in CRM actions as well as the tier-growth strategies.
• Ensure store teams are executing their established CRM plans.
• Monitor by door the key Clienteling metrics and ensure that stores are achieving desired benchmarks.

Performance and Talent Management:

• Continuously monitor store management teams and provide constructive feedback, as needed.
• Partner with Human Resource Manager on complex employee relations issues and escalate, as needed.
• Oversee the annual performance review process and salary planning process for respective stores.
• Identify and create action plans and build development plans for all direct reports and approve of that for retail employees.
• Attract, recruit, and retain a high performing team;Build a talent pipeline through networking and competitive shopping.
• Ensure a consistent and branded onboarding experience for new hires.

Who you are:

• Experience of at least 6 years in complex or flagship level store management, with experience in a district or multi-store role;
• A track record in developing and achieving clienteling activity both in store and outside stores;
• Operates with a high degree of ethics and integrity;
• Strong business acumen, highly analytical, able to present and drive one idea;
• Experience in collaborating with multiple teams - Human Resources, Store Operations, Loss Prevention, Merchandising, Visual Merchandising, Wholesale, CRM, Legal department, etc.;
• Great verbal and written communication skills; excellent presentation skills;
• Very proficient in Excel and PowerPoint;
• Strategic and focused on the end results;
• Decisive and collaborates with a team to develop strategies;
• Flexible, adaptable, reliable, and able to work well under pressure;
• Extremely well organized and structured – excellent project management skills;
• Able to quickly assess and anticipate needs and provide highest quality of service

Why work with us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a dynamic team with a visionary brand that offers possibilities to learn and grow. Talent development is a managerial principle at Kering and we are committed to fostering internal mobility. Our common vision promotes leadership skills and helps every employee to reach their full potential in a stimulating and fulfilling workplace environment.

Kering is committed to building a diverse workforce. We believe diversity in all its forms – gender, age, nationality, culture, religious beliefs and sexual orientation – enriches the workplace. It opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to adapt to a changing world. As an Equal Opportunity Employer we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their background.

• Full time
• North America
• United States of America