Head of Retail

**who we are**

Welcome to PANGAIA, a materials science company on a mission to save our environment. We are a global collective of one heart and many hands — scientists, technologists, designers — creating essential products from innovative tech and bio-engineered materials.

We design products for living in, for any situation and for basic needs. We create our products with smart technology and use as many sustainable and recyclable elements as possible.

We are starting a movement. Designing a better future.

**about this role**

We are excited to be recruiting Head of Retail & Wholesale who will be accountable for the leadership and execution of the Global Retail network and its’ expansion across all channels where we have a physical presence, including wholesale and consignment, concessions and free standing doors, as well as the management of key regional operating and franchise partners, both in terms of on-going relationships and new business development.

The Head of Retail & Wholesale will drive commercial and operational excellence in the physical retail strategy. They will do this through optimising sales and profit margin, through new and innovative ideas and ways of working, blending commerciality and creative concept seamlessly in alignment with brand guidelines. This person will be responsible for overseeing a multi-disciplinary team of 15+ that includes VM, store design, in-store retail staff, retail ops and wholesale account management.

**a day in the life**:

- Optimise and deliver against the 3-Year PANGAIA retail & wholesale strategic plan, identifying regional and commercial opportunities in line with the wider Company objectives and sales targets.
- Work closely with our partner retailers buying and marketing teams to ensure the best positioning and placement of PANGAIA in all retail spaces
- Partner with the Commercial Director to negotiate new business terms across concession, wholesale and operating partner agreements to deliver optimal commercial return for PANGAIA
- Partner with the Planning team and Visual Merchandising Manager to support in the creation of strong assortments and Visual Merchandising for wholesale and retail spaces that are commercially viable and compelling for customers and elevate the brand positioning in alignment with Marketing guidance
- Overall accountability and delivery of retail and wholesale KPI´s and planned performance, including implementation of new processes and metrics tracking to allow for efficiencies and streamlining to enable in store teams to focus on selling and be setup for success
- Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with key retail contacts maximising every opportunity to develop the team and the business in the specific stores covered.
- Partner with the Product team and support the Wholesale Manager in the execution of bi-annual London Showrooms to ensure successful buying seasons and continued expansion and LfL growth across accounts.
- Develop proactive, collaborative relationships with all internal stakeholders - Marketing, Finance, Operations, Merchandising, Impact, Digital.
- Coach teams in retail best practice in order to deliver an outstanding customer experience at point of sale including development of a best-in-class onboarding and training experience for all retail staff and new wholesale partners.
- Develop new and relevant tools / methods to stimulate activity and energy at POS.
- Lead the team in the project management of new door locations, in particular free-standing doors and pop-up opportunities, working cross-functionally across teams and ensuring project delivery on time and within budget
- Oversee and own both the retail and wholesale Forecasts, P&Ls across accounts, business cases of new accounts, and overall department opex budgets, in partnership with Finance

**Requirements**:

- Extensive professional experience in a similar position in the Retail and Wholesale Industry. Ideally with experience in a founder-led brand with high growth rate and an extensive wholesale network.
- Proven track record of driving LfL sales growth, new business development and cost control.
- Proven experience leading a multi-channel business.
- Previous P&L accountability with highly effective numerical and financial skills.
- Inspirational leadership skills, with the ability to attract, retail and motivate teams.
- Result-oriented, highly analytical and structured, ability to identify connections, adopt different perspectives, and quickly and strategically respond to changing circumstances.
- Excellent understanding of retail processes, systems and tools with proven experience in improving them.
- Excellent organisational skills and a demonstrated ability to multi-task and manage varying stakeholder requirements.
- Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.
- Proven negotiation and influencing skills with an ability to deal with complex issues; ability to build and maintain stro