Category Director, NCAA & Licensed (Creation Center Portland)

PURPOSE & OVERALL RELEVANCE FOR THE ORGANISATION

 

Identify through sport and consumer insights business opportunities within the NCAA space

Heavily influence category direction and drive its implementation

Build strategies to win with consumer and market share

Steer a cross-functional product creation team to deliver the category vision

Lead and develop the category team

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 

• Manage a team and develop their functional and social skills using available resources to create a top performing team
• Set and manage strategic category direction; ensure cross-functional alignment
• Collaborate with Creation Center Herzo (CCH) “in-line” teams to drive local product creation that amplifies, enhances, and localizes the global offer
• Collaborate with other Business Units to create and deliver cross-business unit product collections celebrating North American sport and cultural moments
• Engage with North American product merchandising organization to interpret and drive localized opportunities.
• Identify new business opportunities to drive innovation and / or commerciality
• Develop an "all for one attitude" within the team to ensure smooth cooperation with interlinked departments
• Have full understanding of the product creation process to drive it forward
• Be a role model for all team members in regards to strategic direction and the product creation process
• Show leadership through living the brand values while fostering a performance culture
• Manage and develop optimum relationship with cross-functional teams and with interlinked departments to enable an efficient product creation process  
• Challenge the cross-functional team to ensure creation of industry leading products
• Analyse and report category business performance to ensure achievement of category KPIs
• Positively represent the category both internally and externally  
• Work with the Merchandising, Sales, Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing teams throughout the season to define strategic marketing direction
• Be a competent partner for category and ranging discussions with markets and retailers
• Define projects to optimize category performance and steer to conclusion
• Build an understanding of product information systems and the interlinking functions – clarity on respective timelines  

 

 

AUTHORITIES

• Personnel managed – yes            Budget managed – no                            

 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

 

• Steer a strong relationship and ensure constant dialogue/feedback with
  • Your category across all functions, other categories and creation centers (if appl.)
  • Global business units