Director of Product / VP

FMG; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

FMG is seeking a Head of European Product Design Centre based in London to lead the strategy for its European and American product portfolio. You will oversee five core functions—Merchandising, Design, Buying, Pattern Making and Production—driving strategy, architecture and differentiation for regional markets.

You will lead cross-border product systems, manage Open-to-Buy governance, and drive fabric trend research while liaising with logistics to ensure efficient fulfilment to stores and

Qualifications

• 15+ years in product, merchandising or buying in apparel/fast fashion
• Experience as CPO/VP Product or Group Head of Product
• Global product lead experience preferred
• Experience managing full fast fashion merchandise value chain
• Experience building cross-border product systems (China-Europe/China-US)
• Strong commercial acumen in pricing and category structure
• Fluent or native English; Chinese a bonus

Responsibilities

• Oversee product strategy for European & American portfolio across five core functions: Merchandising, Design, Buying, Pattern Making and Production
• Formulate merchandise strategy, define product DNA and category architecture for regional markets
• Lead merchandise planning and Open-to-Buy governance for Europe & Americas
• Drive upgrades in pattern development, production and fabric trend research; build global supply chain network
• Coordinate with logistics teams for efficient fulfilment to stores and e-commerce
• Lead organisational development of the product division and attract international talent
• Contribute as strategic advisor on product and merchandising in group decision-making

Skills

Leadership

Merchandising

Product strategy

Cross-border collaboration

People management

English fluent

Job description

• As the Head of European Product Design Centre, oversee the overall product strategy for UR's European & American product portfolio, taking charge of five core functions: Merchandising, Design, Buying, Pattern Making and Production.
• Formulate merchandise strategy, define product DNA, category architecture, price tiers and merchandise differentiation strategies for regional markets.
• Lead merchandise planning and OTB (Open-to-Buy) governance for Europe & Americas, and be accountable for key KPIs including inventory turnover, gross margin, sell-through rate and hit rate of bestsellers.
• Drive systematic upgrades in pattern development, production and fabric trend research, and build a global supply chain network.
• Liaise with logistics teams to ensure efficient fulfilment from production facilities to global physical stores and e-commerce channels.
• Lead organisational development of the product division, attract and cultivate international product talents.
• Participate in group strategic decision-making, acting as the core strategic advisor on product and merchandising matters.

Job Requirements

• Minimum 15 years of experience in product, merchandising or buying within apparel / fast fashion industry; at least 5 years of experience at CPO / VP Product or Group Head of Product level.
• Prior experience as global product lead at international fast fashion brand is preferred.
• Proven capability to manage the full fast fashion merchandise value chain (Design – Buying – Pattern Making – Production – Logistics).
• Experience building cross-border product systems from scratch, with familiarity in China-Europe / China-US design collaboration models.
• Strong commercial acumen, with in-depth understanding of consumer aesthetics, pricing and category structures across regional markets.
• Cross-cultural leadership skills to manage multicultural design and buying teams spanning China, Europe and the US.
• Business fluent or native-level English; Chinese language proficiency is a bonus.
• Based in London on a permanent basis, and available for frequent cross-border business travel.