Retail Senior Vice President (Sourcing Specialist)

AlixPartners, LLP; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm is seeking a skilled individual for their Retail Performance Improvement team in London. This role requires extensive experience in retail consulting or industry, especially in vendor negotiations and sourcing strategy. The successful candidate will optimize processes to enhance business performance and must possess a Master's degree or MBA. Strong analytical skills and the ability to work under pressure are essential. The firm offers a competitive package with excellent benefits.

Benefits

Comprehensive compensation package

Excellent benefit program

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in retail consulting or industry.
• Successful history in vendor negotiations focused on profitability.
• Strong knowledge of sourcing dynamics in the apparel sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing departments for apparel brands.
• Overhaul sourcing strategies and improve vendor negotiations.
• Optimize buy sizes and delivery scheduling with business units.

Skills

Analytical skills

Vendor negotiation expertise

Sourcing strategy development

Excel modelling capability

Education

Master's degree or MBA

Job description

What you’ll do

Our Retail Performance Improvement (PI) team works with healthy, under-performing and distressed companies across a variety of urgent, high impact situations.

The Retail PI team help clients deliver significant improvement in business performance and enterprise value across all subsectors within the retail industry through five key areas: revenue growth, cost and profit improvement, cash management, digital enablement, and organizational effectiveness.

This is an exciting time to join a rapidly growing team that are servicing clients in a dynamic and challenging market. We help our clients adapt and thrive during a period of immense pressure in the industry. From day one, you will get a chance to deliver real impact and work with clients when it really matters.

This description is not designed to encompass a comprehensive listing of required activities, duties, or responsibilities.

What you’ll need

• Extensive and relevant experience preferably with a mix of consulting and industry within the retail sector, but with a desired focus on direct sourcing and end to end sourcing improvement.
• Specific delivery experience in apparel sourcing and that you have the following experience or credentials:
• Led sourcing departments / the sourcing of specific categories for multiple years (both industry and consulting experience)
• Have overhauled the sourcing strategy for apparel brands/retailers and are familiar with current sourcing and supply chain dynamics.
• Conducted significant amounts of vendor negotiations and consider yourself an expert in vendor negotiations; come with an analytics driven negotiation approach to achieve maximum profitability.
• Significant Excel modelling capability to estimate impacts from sourcing/negotiation shifts.
• Knowledge of fabric types and impact on costs
• Familiarity with pros/cons of different Go to Market processes – speed models versus longer calendar approaches
• Intimate knowledge of the Design and Product Development process
• Experience working with B&M to optimise buy sizes and delivery scheduling.
• Other relevant delivery experience should also be highlighted:
• Revenue and growth programmes.
• Category strategy
• Indirect procurement & SG&A cost reduction.
• Organizational effectiveness.
• Store network and store operations.
• Omnichannel, digital transformation.
• End to end supply chain transformation & distribution footprint optimization.

• Demonstrable history in achieving implementation oriented, qualitative solutions in multiple workstreams.
• Deep understanding of business issues and the ability to communicate them effectively to team leaders and clients.
• Willingness to build professional and personal growth by working in high-impact situations under time-pressure.
• True passion for achieving ambitious results.
• Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills along with strong financial literacy and modelling.
• Passion for retail and a contributor to / participant in industry events / conferences.
• Excellent relationship management with c-suite stakeholders while achieving results.
• Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and executive-level presentation skills.
• Fluency in English is essential; knowledge of an additional language would be advantageous.
• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice.
• Willingness to work outside of normal business hours, and as unique projects/needs arise.

Education Requirements

• Master’s degree and / or an MBA, and evidence of a strong academic record.
• A degree in Business, Finance or Engineering is preferable but not essential.

In addition to a positive workplace, the firm offers a comprehensive compensation package including an excellent benefit program.

AlixPartners is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status or status as an individual with disability.

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