Who We Are:
Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.
JOB MISSION:
As a key leader within the New Balance DTC (Direct to Consumer) function, this role is responsible for building and scaling the allocation and operations strategy to drive sustainable growth. This includes establishing and leading a high-performing team with different focus areas. The function will ensure efficient product distribution across EMEA Full Price, Factory Outlet retail stores, and digital channels. Managing various store concepts across multiple regions, redefining logistics for greater efficiency for our supply-chain and store operations, and implementing a localized data-driven assortment strategy on store level to best serve our consumers. Develop future focused strategies to ensure all areas of product allocation and supply chain operations are covered in conjunction and collaboration with global teams in order to get to a unified way of working. Stakeholder in- and member of the DTC product/planning management team. Very visible in the wider organization and key contact for business leaders regarding all Allocation and Operational topics.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Oversee and lead the allocation team(10+) for Full Price and Factory Outlets ensuring a constant supply of product to hit the stores sales targets, introduction moments, RTV scheduling etc
Oversee, lead and manage the Pricing and Promotional requirements ensuring an aligned omni channel consistency.
Develop and manage the Inventory Operations team who ensure price harmonization across the OMNI channels, directing in markdown implementation and manage stock procurement and movements across regions.
Support, manage & drive the team to create and oversee a good understanding of store profiles to improve the allocation process, clusters the stores into categories and continually improve the allocation process.
Guide the team to monitor weekly the current and future store capacities & stock levels in order to lead actions and encourage the department to take decisions on allocation and to highlight any potential risks to the supply chain & operations
Lead the allocation team on localized assortment creation and adjustment across Retail channels, pre and in-season.
Encourage collaboration with the Planning team to forecast and plan for the peak trading periods in the year by country, cluster and down to store level ensuring adequate stocks to support these key periods.
Ensures that new store openings run accordingly to the business timelines set out by the Retail Operations team and that allocations, pick notes and deliveries are planned effectively between the Product and Allocation teams.
Weekly management meetings and daily contact with the product Buying teams to review priorities per channel for allocation including new products, aged inventory, launches and promotions.
Collaborating with the Retail technology team to continually review and improve the allocation and replenishment process and the use of the retail APTOS system.
Ensure collaborate meetings are happening with the Buying and Planning teams to effectively plan and oversee deliveries of launch product to the stores in a timely manner.
Effectively lead the teams into the transitional period between seasons, encourage collaboration with Buying, Logistics, Retail Ops management and VM to make it as smooth as possible.
In conjunction with supply chain management monitor the deliveries and KPI’s of the warehouse whilst proactively highlighting and discussing risks, priority deliveries and any drop in service that is required to sustain and grow sales.
Inspire change within logistics to find improvements and efficiencies across the supply chain. Map allocation timelines to ensure efficient execution for our Brick and Mortar fleet and digital needs from Far-east production to on-shelf availability.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS:
Allocation experience in a management position from a retail background.
Experience in and knowledge of supply chain processes, technologies and efficiencies in a retail landscape.
Adaptive to and instigating new processes and ability to drive change.
Strong multi level team leader with forward looking ability.
Process orientated, analytical and organised, willing and ability to participate on global projects to improve and challenge processes based on analytics.
Ability to adapt communication styles to all levels within the organisation.
BENEFITS:
Discretionary Bonus Opportunity
Discount on health insurance
8% holiday allowance
Flexible Working Hours
Pension Scheme
25 days Annual Leave per year
Up to €300 travel allowance each month
Hybrid working
Employee Discount
Work from home allowance
Home working equipment
Sports subscription services
Flexibility to work 20 days from anywhere each year
Wellbeing and Mental Health Benefit (24/7 Employment Assistance Program & Support)
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Equal Opportunity Employer:
New Balance is committed to equality of opportunity for all current and prospective associates regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership and gender reassignment. We are an equal opportunity employer and support a culture of diversity and inclusion.
If you have not already done so, please let us know if you require any support so we can make the right adjustments and considerations should they be required.
Skills Required
- Allocation experience in a management position from a retail background
- Experience and knowledge of supply chain processes, technologies, and efficiencies in a retail landscape
- Ability to adapt to and instigate new processes and drive change
- Strong multilevel team leadership with forward-looking ability
- Process-oriented, analytical, and organized approach
- Willingness and ability to participate in global projects and improve processes based on analytics
- Ability to adapt communication styles to all levels within the organization
New Balance Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about New Balance and has not been reviewed or approved by New Balance.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical, dental, and vision options alongside wellness resources like health coaching. Fitness reimbursement is also cited as part of the overall health and wellness offering.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as strong, with a 401(k) plan and a company match described as dollar-for-dollar up to a stated contribution level in some locations. Life insurance and disability benefits are also included as part of the broader financial protection package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are characterized as generous, with paid holidays, vacation time, and paid sick leave highlighted. Flexible schedules and telecommuting options are also described as supporting work-life balance.
New Balance Insights
What We Do
In 1906, New Balance began as a humble one-man operation founded on the belief that “we were born to move,” and has since grown into an international corporation, selling footwear and apparel in over 120 countries and employing over 8,000 associates worldwide. Our mission has always been to support the performance of athletes, and with an unparalleled focus on quality and craftsmanship, we’ve come to set the standard for comfort and fit in an industry all too often driven by hype. We’re incredibly proud of our history and how far we’ve come, but companies don’t thrive for over a century by being content. Whether it’s setting a new style trend, retooling our manufacturing process, or building a new state-of-the-art headquarters, we pursue innovation with a spirit of fearless independence. As the only privately held major footwear company in the world, we’re free to do things our way, pushing limits and testing boundaries as we continually reimagine what could be. After all, the status quo isn’t static. But doing things our way wouldn’t mean much if we weren’t also doing them the right way. We invest in our associates as they invest in us, and as we move forward, we make a point of giving back, supporting communities around us through ambitious philanthropic efforts and involvement programs. We are a company that cares, and our culture is one of integrity and teamwork where together we become greater than the sum of our parts.
