Senior Culture Research Manager (all genders) - Zalando Fashion Studios

THE ROLE & THE TEAM

As the Senior Culture Research Manager at Zalando, you will be the expert who gathers and curates on-the-pulse culture and fashion insights, forecasting trends on the horizon. You will be responsible for leading Zalando’s efforts to understand, analyse, and forecast cultural trends that impact our business. Facilitate a vision that supports stakeholders in streamlining and synthesising the roadmap to the future, and being the connector to our customers, understanding and relaying customer needs back to teams. Together, we'll transform internal insights into external innovations, shaping knowledge into ideas and products to captivate the world.

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• Cultural Research & Insights: Lead and conduct (customer) research initiatives to identify and analyse cultural trends, translating complex data into actionable insights for Zalando’s business strategy, product development, and marketing. Consistently bring forth curated, tangible, relevant insights around current and upcoming culture, fashion, and inspiration trends.

• Trend Forecasting: Develop and maintain a forecasting model to utilise cultural insights to predict future cultural shifts, ensuring Zalando remains ahead of market dynamics. Present trend forecasts and strategic recommendations to internal teams.

• Internal Leadership & Collaboration: Act as a thought leader on cultural trends within Zalando, driving awareness and understanding across all levels of the organisation. Consistently develop and deliver internal presentations, and workshops that communicate relevant insights on culture, fashion, and inspiration. Foster a culture of innovation and trend awareness by sharing these insights across the organisation.

• Strategic Integration: Serve as a key connector between internal Zalando teams, influencers and collaborators, and partner brands, aligning cultural and customer insights with content strategy and customer engagement. Work closely with cross-functional teams to detect trends. 

• Process Optimization: Empower stakeholders to streamline their planning and decision making processes, through design thinking, creating clear roadmaps for content planning. Build heuristics to share and leverage expertise across teams, optimising ways of working, scaling knowledge and continually iterating on processes.

WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF

• A minimum of 5+ years of experience in cultural research, trend forecasting, or a related role, preferably in the fashion or lifestyle industry.

• You have a deep understanding and passion for emerging brands, movements and consumer shifts, creators, and cultural dynamics, trends and innovation. 

• You easily analyse complex cultural data and translate trends into concrete and contextualised recommendations for implementation. 

• You can curate insights that align with Zalando’s mission to be a trendsetter for authentic storytelling in fashion and culture.

• You are passionate about conducting user research and establishing always on insight streams for content production. 

• You excel in synthesising and sharing insights through regular team sessions and forecasts.

• You have experience in facilitation, workshop hosting, and documentation.

• Collaborator and talent selection through cultural and customer insights is your forte.

• You possess outstanding communication and presentation skills and the ability to connect with both internal teams and external collaborators.

• Experience working within large, matrixed organisations and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

• Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• Employee shares program

• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Zalando Lounge, discounts from external partners

• 2 paid volunteering days a year

• Hybrid working model with up to 60% remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration

• Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year

• 27 days of vacation a year to start

• Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)

• Family services, including counseling and support

• Health and wellbeing options (including Gympass)

• Mental health support and coaching available

• Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review