005661
Store Support Centre, British Columbia, Canada
Job Summary:
The Director of Merchandising & Planning Systems will have overall responsibility for Merchandise and Planning Systems. This roll will be focused on partnering with the Merchandise, Planning and Allocation teams to revolutionize how planning, merchandising and supply chain execution occurs at lululemon. The Director will establish deep working relationships with the business to develop new, game changing processes and systems to drive global growth across all channels with a focus on the fusion of ecommerce and retail – lululemon’s “One Channel” strategy. The Director will have end-to-end delivery responsibility systems solutions and operations for product design, development, merchandising, planning and allocation. This individual serves as the business relationship linkage between the product business teams and IT teams, working with the business to understand what is possible to achieve with technology, focusing on the most appropriate and game changing solutions, bringing the strategic vision to life and ensuring the solutions support each step in the overall supply chain. The Director identifies and builds the appropriate teams to meet business and IT objectives. Responsible for ongoing operational effectiveness, work allocation, professional development and delivery of new capability, the Director will balance strategic priorities with tactical execution and team development needs. Through all activities and prioritization, the Director will ensure the team delivers the highest levels of quality, exceptional systems stability and game changing capabilities.
The Director of Merchandise & Planning Systems plays a key part on the overall lululemon senior leadership team, both as an IT leader and business strategist. As such, the Director consistently takes initiative, delegates work to the team and follows up on outstanding issues while maintaining a global, long term perspective. Team members will look to the Director for ongoing development, instruction on specialized projects and for personal development. The Director understands and informs the day to day operations of the department, key business priorities and broader strategic plans, ensuring the teams’ priorities, objectives and activities are appropriately aligned.
Core Accountabilities:
• Works with product design, development, merchandising, planning, allocation and IT management to define new operating models and systems capabilities.
• Responsible for leadership of all technical design, development, integration, and testing resources associated with merchandising and planning systems and solutions.
• Develops IT strategies, prioritize initiatives and defines projects and systems modifications to achieve the business strategy and objectives.
• Ensures systems availability for merchandise and Planning systems including eSPS, FlexPLM, Advanced Allocation, Maple Lake Planning
• Provides strategic direction, manages the day-to-day work activities, coaches and mentors the team.
• Partners with lululemon business and technical teams to ensure that Merchandise and Planning systems are developed to meet business and project objectives while adhering to project and program management standards and established methodologies.
• Uses innovative problem solving and critical thinking approaches to proactively solve problems in the merchandise, planning, allocation and PLM space.
• Defines the team structures and resources required to support achieving the business vision, continuously improve existing systems and maintaining ongoing operations.
• Develops the IT team members as the future leaders of the organization.
• Develops and manages departmental budgets to meet IT commitments and achieve our strategic vision.
Required Skills, Experience and Academic/Educational Requirements:
• A minimum 4 year degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology or a similar discipline; Masters Degree preferred
• 7 to 10+ years of progressively responsible technology management experience
• Demonstrated passion and a great track record of delivering business value through successful Retail Planning Systems projects (i.e., Product Lifecycle Management, Merchandise Financial Planning, Line Planning, Assortment Planning, Item Level Planning, Allocation, Replenishment)
• Experience in a vertically integrated, global, multi-channel retail environment is required.
• Demonstrated ability to build constructive business relationships and gain the trust of others in a multi-vendor, cross functional environment. Clear ability to work in a matrix management model, leveraging strength and talents across the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate, mitigate, and resolve conflicts across workgroups.
• Proven ability to meet deadlines and operating under tight time constraints with a strong sense of urgency.
• Excellent communications skills: verbal, written, negotiation and presentational. Must be able to communicate technical and project management concepts in business oriented terms.
• Excellent coaching, team building and group facilitation skills
• Demonstrated experience in making articulate and effective oral presentations to different audiences including senior level management.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including analytical, problem solving, organizational, issue resolution, and customer relationship management
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate and manage business partners and external vendors who have major delivery responsibilities for projects and operations.
• Demonstrated ability to guide and support project managers, project teams and business teams in solving complex project and operational issues.
Our “must haves”:
Must be self-confident, outgoing and able to communicate effectively with all levels of management and staff
• Proven work ethic with utmost integrity
• Desire to excel and succeed
• Actively live and breathe the lululemon culture and lifestyle
• Self-awareness, with a desire for constant self improvement (goal –oriented)
• Entrepreneurial spirit and an egoless nature
• Self motivated, passionate, empathetic, approachable
• Outgoing, energetic, upbeat and fun!
