Director - Costing, South Asia & EMEA, Apparel & Accessories

NIKE TRADING COMPANY B.V. Singapore Branch; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An international apparel company is seeking a Director, Costing for South Asia & EMEA, based in Singapore. This pivotal role involves leading the Apparel & Accessories costing team, shaping cost strategies, overseeing supplier partnerships, and ensuring operational excellence. Candidates should possess a Bachelor's degree in finance or a related field, along with at least 7 years of relevant experience. Strong leadership, negotiation skills, and a commitment to diversity are essential. The position also requires up to 20% travel.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years' relevant experience in manufacturing, product development, engineering, or procurement.
• Experience managing cross-functional projects is necessary.
• Strong commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential.

Responsibilities

• Define Global Apparel & Accessories Costing strategy and direction.
• Drive product cost optimization and negotiate with manufacturing suppliers.
• Monitor factory performance and report on costing KPIs.
• Develop negotiation strategies based on analysis and insights.
• Champion diversity and high-performance culture within the team.

Skills

Excellent presentation and communication skills

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving skills

Leadership experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, or related field

MBA preferred

Job description

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

The Director, Costing South Asia & EMEA, will oversee the regional costing team for factory partners within South Asia and EMEA, reporting directly to the Senior Director of Apparel & Accessories Costing based in Singapore.

This role and its team serve as the primary resource for the regional General Manager regarding factory partner costing, spearheading operations, negotiations, trend analysis, framework development, and reporting.

Key stakeholder groups include:

• Manufacturing (Partner Management, Engineering, Delivery)
• Sourcing
• Product Creation
• Factory Costing & Development Teams
• Finance & Margin Teams

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The Director, Costing South Asia & EMEA leads the regional Apparel & Accessories costing team based in Singapore. This role is pivotal in shaping Nike’s cost strategy across South Asia and EMEA, ensuring competitive margins and operational excellence through supplier partnerships and data-driven decision‑making.

• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, or related field (MBA preferred).
• At least 7 years' relevant experience; manufacturing, product development, engineering, or procurement background is a plus.
• Experience managing cross‑functional projects across locations.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills for senior leadership.
• Innovative, proactive problem‑solver with strong interpersonal and alignment‑building skills.
• Detail‑oriented, analytical, and adept at conveying ideas to varied audiences.
• Comfortable with ambiguity in dynamic settings.
• Proven team building and leadership experience.
• Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion.
• Up to 20% travel required.

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

The Apparel & Accessories Costing team is part of Nike’s Product Supply Chain and is responsible for driving product cost transparency and excellence through effective product costing & cost engineering. Costing also creates frameworks, standards, and systems to enable an integrated costing process for Apparel & Accessories, leading manufacturing cost negotiations and serving as subject‑matter experts and change leaders in costing for Nike.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Participate in defining Global Apparel & Accessories Costing strategy and direction.
• Drive profitability and mitigate cost risk through product cost optimization and negotiation with manufacturing suppliers (CMT, profit, efficiencies, key fabrics, macroeconomic factors).
• Monitor factory performance and report on costing KPIs, including seasonal targets and achievements.
• Develop supplier‑specific negotiation strategies based on analysis and business insights, aligned with teams such as sourcing and partner management.
• Support costing teams in identifying and implementing systems and tools to improve product creation and costing processes.
• Track industry and macroeconomic trends to guide costing decisions and share best practices.
• Foster a high‑performance culture, mentor team members, and champion diversity and inclusion within the regional costing team of 4 FTEs based in Singapore.
• Deliver year‑over‑year cost savings through strategic negotiations and process improvements.