Head of Product

**OVERVIEW**

We are looking for an inspirational Head of Product to lead the growing product team at our South Manchester head office. This is a pivotal leadership role that will drive product innovation and stakeholder relationships for our brand globally.

You’ll work alongside both the Managing Director and Creative Director to play a key role in the growth of the brand, delivering product excellence for the Nadine Merabi customer worldwide.

**PURPOSE OF ROLE**

You will work with Directors in setting the near, medium, and long-term strategic product strategy for the business and lead all sustainability initiatives and compliance for the business, ensuring fair practices with all our partners.

Leading our overall product budgets and forecasts, you will work closely with our Finance Director to build our growth plans. You will be responsible for finding the best manufacturers at competitive prices to keep the process on schedule and on budget, in line with the company’s future growth plans, whilst managing stock levels and protecting profit margins.

Leading the merchandising, design and product team including garment and fabric techs, you will ensure that innovation and continuous improvement are maximised whilst risk is minimised.

**MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES**
- Oversee supplier sourcing - you will lead the business in effective sourcing of supply partners ensuring costs are managed in line with financial budgets.
- Price negotiation - negotiating price with suppliers at a strategic relationship level to ensure maximum output and profitability.
- Approve final buys - managing our merch team and buyers, you’ll make decisions on stock orders and manage and negotiate all payment terms.
- Manage approved vendor matrix
- Oversee production tracking - work with suppliers to measure, analyse, and improve visibility throughout the manufacturing process, from raw material to completed product, travelling to suppliers when required to maintain successful relationships.
- Find and onboard new factories that can meet Nadine Merabi’s requirements and high standards.
- Create transparency in product supply chain - closely work with suppliers and product teams to drive supply chain scope and transparency milestones.
- Oversee full product design and development - you will ensure that innovation and continuous improvement are maximised whilst risk is minimised, ensuring product design, quality and fit is optimised by leveraging customer insights.
- Oversee merchandising and capacity planning - Manage the stock control in the business, leading the Merchandise teams with WSSI ownership and day to day management to ensure & optimise availability, intake, service and stock levels in line with business demand needs.
- Collate all data on stock, sales, returns, cash flow, balance sheet from a product design, development, sourcing, buying, merch & category management point of view and analyse to find the insight to make the right decisions for the business
- Critical path management - Ensure on-time range launches, oversee the Merch Team & monitoring the CP dates.
- Head up the financial operations within the Product Team - establishing targets, developing budgets, performing financial analysis and managing all product invoices.
- Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders, including operations teams to clearly communicate and plan for activity of goods in, stock movement, quality control, and launches.

**ABOUT YOU**
- Proven track record of delivery leading a product function in the fashion industry preferably with a premier, luxury brand.
- Experience in product creation and cost engineering
- Strong understanding of garment manufacturing processes
- Demonstrable experience in building sustainability policies within brands.
- Experience of in managing a large product department including people management with experience in coaching and the development of a team at different experience levels
- Have an existing established supplier network on a global scale
- Strong commercial awareness with an ability to identify risk and confidently provide solutions
- Proficiency in Adobe Suite and PLM Software.
- Experience working cross-functionally and ability to influence and inspire stakeholders.
- Experience succeeding in a high growth environment.
- Evidence exercising strategic thinking and adaptability.
- Strong budget planning and financial management skills

Competitive base salary and benefits package.