Within a very dynamic APAC organization, reporting to the Senior Manager / Manager, Buying, the appointee will have the responsibility to support the development of the seasonal range and the business strategy for a specific division. 

1) Support the development of the range within brand DNA and financial target:

• Analyze past sales to support the development of the new season strategy
• Work with division manager to determine the optimum way to invest OTB by class
• Build the range based on past season best seller, full price trends & regional needs
• Identify new opportunities and work with the Corporate merchandising & sourcing to include new product in the range
• Work closely with the US & the EU teams to leverage on their buy strategy and their experience
• Present the range to the management to validate the buy
• Post-buy, develop and present a seasonal hand-off to communicate the seasonal strategy to the retail and visual merchandising team

2) Ensure smooth and timely execution of the buy:

• Upon range confirmation take the lead on buy execution
• Determine pricing based on full price pricing structure
• Analyze and determine size curve by market
• Ensure orders are place accurately and on time
• Manage relationship with the sourcing department

3) Manage business in season in collaboration with planning & allocation

• Track receipt to ensure that seasonal deliveries will arrive in the store on time
• Produce and analyze selling reports and provide markdown recommendations
• Present a business summary on a weekly basis to the Buying and Planning management to discuss key business highlights, risks and opportunities, product best and worst performance and propose any required action
• Work with key partners to ensure the execution of the sales strategy
• Work closely with the retail team in order to understand the business trends and customer expectations
• Collaborate with visual merchandising team to build seasonal guidelines and ensure that the assortment is present on the floor as planned.
• Work closely with planning team to build seasonal strategy, invest OTB and determine markdown and promotional strategy
• Communicate with allocation to ensure assortment is delivered on time and that key items are always on the floor with sufficient depth

Requirements 

• Strong analytical skills and ability to identify commercial opportunities based on analysis produced
• Highly organized and the ability to prioritize team work schedule based on broader business requirements
• Curious, willing to develop and solution-oriented
• Computer proficient in Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Good communication skills both upwards to Senior Management and laterally to business partners both internal and external
• Remain driven when faced with challenging trading positions and/or directives from senior management
• To demonstrate an ability to operate independently within set business goals, working closely with senior business partners

Depending on the seniority of the appointee, the appointment may be made at the Assistant, Associate, or Merchandiser level.

We offer a collegial working environment and an attractive remuneration package and career prospects for the right candidate. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. Ralph Lauren is an equal opportunity employer. Personal data provided will only be used for purpose of recruitment and selection.