Head of Fashion

Job description

HEAD OF FASHION

Location : Panamá, Panamá City

Reports to : Managing Director

Contract : Full-time and permanent position

YOUR ROLE @CHANEL

As Head of Fashion, you will be leading the Chanel Fashion Boutique in Panama with passion and professionalism in order to optimize their activities, their performances, to ensure their continued development in line with the Panama Fashion strategy. 

Based in Panama, you will report to the General Manager of CUPFSA, and closely partner with the Fashion Director Swiss Markets to infuse Fashion vision and spirit and implement the Swiss Markets Fashion operational strategy.

That leadership role should be played through clear strategic thinking and by giving priority to people development as well as by being a role model for Chanel’s leadership attributes.

You manage the boutique team, managing KPIs, devises strategies to bridge the service gaps, if any. You also manage the dedicated support function teams based in Panama: marketing, retail & Operation support.

WHAT IMPACT YOU CAN CREATE AT CHANEL

As a Head of Fashion, you can make a significant impact on the company by:

- You define the local Fashion business strategy and ensure its development

·  In collaboration with the region, defines the MTP, budget and the yearly sales plan for the boutique
·  Fortified with the monitoring of competitors and your own experience of the fashion business, you are visionary, able to anticipate the future outlook and trend of the market
·  Builds and implements a medium-term and long-term business plan for the boutique covering all the business aspects such as product assortment mix, marketing, operations, learning to optimize and develop the business
·  Contributes to the P&L definition and monitoring, optimizing the costs you are responsible for and making sure the right resources are properly allocated

- You make sure the Boutique in Panama receive adequate support

·  Defines, manages and develops support for your fashion network in terms of boutique operations, learning, marketing and retail development to stick to the defined business plan
·  In relation with HR functions, you are responsible of all HR topics related to the team: recruitment, remuneration, evaluation, performance and development

- You accompany the boutiques and the region in the fashion buying’s process 

·  Supports and infuses the regional strategy for OTB definition and buying guidelines
·  Takes part in the buying sessions. You oversee advising and challenging Boutiques team in order to help them to make the right decisions, relevant to the profile of the boutique’s clientele, and also upholding the philosophy of “One Boutique One Story”

- You nourish a client-centric team (with Retail, Marketing, Style and Learning teams)

·  Drives a client-centric culture to champion long term client engagement.
·  Emphasizes to the team the importance of personalized understanding of every Top Clients’ needs and expectations.
·  Ensures that the Retail Team pays adequate attention to all levels of clients, regardless of their spending, so as to grow their loyalties with and engage them to the brand for the long term.
·  Sets high standards in all aspects of customer service. At all times, you ensure that service provided is in line with company standards. Proactively partners with Learning team to address shortcomings in customer service identified through client surveys or other feedback.

- You manage Sales Team

·  Exposes the Boutique Team to Fashion Strategy, enrich their understanding and the meaning of the execution at the Boutique level
·  Manages performance and results of the boutique with request of corrective actions implementation when needed
·  Ensures all operational procedures regarding sales, discounts, transfers, stock adjustments and all policies are followed, partnering with markets Finance Department.

- Upholds the image of the brand

·  Instills an uncompromising culture in which image comes first
·  Acts as role model / brand ambassador in terms of communication, behavior and grooming, whether with internal or external customers, thereby inspiring the teams to do the same.
·  Partners proactively and closely with the Visual Merchandising, Retail and Product teams to ensure that window and in-boutique displays consistently reflect the essence of the seasonal collection and that boutique environment is in optimum condition in accordance with the Chanel image.
·  Nurtures harmonious relationships with landlords, PR, Media and local public authority.

YOU ARE ENERGIZED BY

·  The history and heritage of The House of CHANEL.
·  People leadership and development.
·  Fostering a meaningful client experience centered around inclusion and connection.
·  Building collaborative partnerships and relationships.
·  Passion about fashion industry and making people grow
·  You possess an innovative mindset, able to demonstrate out of the box thinking with the courage to experiment and test new ways of doing things to strive for the best business results, services to our customers and growth of our talent
·  Result-oriented, you believe in the team spirit to achieve goals and enjoy working in a highly collaborative environment

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ROLE

·  8+ years working in related positions, in boutiques management in the fashion and luxury industry.
·  English is a must, French would be an advantage
·  Your excellent interpersonal and leadership skills along with a strong strategic and analytic approach will be a real asset to succeed in this position
·  You are resilient and capable in leading the business in undergoing challenges and transformation
·  You enjoy working a dynamic environment and you are able to adapt to the cultural specificities
·  Demanding, thorough, you possess a client centric mindset with proven experience in driving client engagement and demonstrate a thorough understanding on the evolution of customer behavior through the application of different methodologies

WHAT YOU WOULD GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE

Strategic Leadership

·  Fashion Direction : Shaping the creative vision and overall aesthetic for the brand.
·  Team Management : Leading and mentoring design, production, and marketing teams.

Business Acumen

·  Sales Forecasting : Predicting consumer demand and ensuring products align with market needs.
·  Supply Chain Coordination : Managing the production timeline and ensuring quality control.

Industry Relationships

·  Networking : Building relationships with manufacturers, retailers, fashion houses, and influencers.
·  Representation : Acting as the face of the brand in public forums, including fashion shows, trade fairs, and media interviews.

Consumer Insight

·  Customer-Centric Design : Understanding target audiences to create products that resonate with consumers.
·  Feedback Integration : Using sales data, feedback, and market research to refine designs and strategies.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN / WHAT CHANEL CAN OFFER YOU

·  Trend Forecasting: Identifying and predicting future fashion trends through research, data analysis, and instinct.
·  Team Management: Leading diverse teams, fostering creativity, and balancing various personalities and skill sets.
·  Customer-Centric Design: Developing a deep understanding of target audiences to create relevant, desirable products.
·  Brand Building: Enhancing brand identity and aligning products with the company’s mission and vision.

At CHANEL, we are focused on creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth, contributing to collective progress. We believe the uniqueness of each individual increases the diversity, complementarity and effectiveness of our teams. We strongly encourage your application, as we value the perspective, experience and potential you could bring to CHANEL.