Brand Manager

Position Summary

1. Brand Strategy & Positioning

• Define and communicate the brand’s positioning, value proposition, and key messaging across all consumer touchpoints.
• Set the annual and seasonal brand direction, ensuring consistency across retail, digital, and communication channels.
• Continuously monitor market dynamics, customer insights, and competitor activity to refine positioning and maintain relevance.
• Provide clear direction to Marketing and VM to ensure brand expression is consistent and premium across channels.

2. Buying Direction & Commercial Merchandising

• Own seasonal buy strategy and assortment direction for assigned brands, aligned with customer demand, market trends, and financial targets.
• Partner with the Merchandiser/Planner on OTB, intake phasing, and stock health; approve final buy quantities and key commercial decisions.
• Define pricing and margin strategy (in line with agreed guardrails) and approve markdown/exit decisions to protect profitability.
• Ensure product mix and commercial calendar support sell-through and long-term brand equity.
• 3.
• Commercial Governance of Retail Execution (Through Ops Manager)
• (Important: governance, not day-to-day operations)
• Set clear commercial and brand priorities for store execution (launches, focus categories, hero products, promotions).
• Partner with the Operations Manager to ensure store standards, staffing readiness, and customer experience delivery align with brand and commercial priorities.
• Conduct planned store and market visits to validate brand execution and identify opportunities; escalate execution gaps through Operations with agreed actions and timelines.
• Own brand-level P&L outcomes and trade-offs (sales, margin, markdown strategy) while Operations owns execution delivery.

4. Brand Performance & Analytics

• Review brand performance through key commercial KPIs (sales, margin, sell-through, stock health) and consumer insights.
• Translate performance insights into clear actions and decisions on buying, pricing, markdowns, launches, and future strategy.
• Produce concise brand updates for senior management including key risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.

5. Marketing & Communications (Strategic Ownership)

• Define brand marketing priorities and approve annual / seasonal marketing plans aligned with brand strategy and commercial goals.
• Approve campaign direction, key messaging, and budget allocations; ensure alignment to product availability and launch timing.
• Review campaign performance with Marketing and optimise future plans to improve ROI and brand impact.

6. Brand Building & Innovation

• Maintain active relationships with global/regional brand partners to adapt strategies to local market needs while protecting brand equity.
• Sponsor new product launches and seasonal initiatives, ensuring readiness across Planning, Operations, VM and Marketing.
• Identify emerging trends and customer opportunities to strengthen brand equity, accelerate growth, and improve profitability.

Explicitly NOT Accountable for

• The Brand Manager is not accountable for the following areas, which sit with dedicated functions:
• Day-to-day store operations, staffing, rosters, and store-level people management
• Warehouse operations including receiving, put-away, dispatch, transport, and logistics execution
• Physical stock movements, replenishment execution, and inventory handling
• Execution of store SOPs, operational compliance, and store audit follow-up
• (The Brand Manager sets commercial priorities and escalation direction; execution accountability sits with Operations.)

Reporting Line

• Reports into: General Manager (as per agreed structure)

Key Internal Interfaces

• Operations Manager:
• Align on commercial priorities, launch readiness, store execution standards, and escalation of execution risks.

• Merchandiser / Planner

• Partner on demand forecasting, OTB, allocation logic, intake phasing, stock health, and sell-through actions.
• Marketing Team:
• Align on brand strategy, campaign direction, budgets, and performance review.
• Visual Merchandising:
• Ensure brand guidelines, launch priorities, and commercial focus are reflected consistently on the shop floor.
• Finance:
• Partner on P&L performance, margin management, pricing guardrails, and financial governance.

Education

• Minimum Qualification required:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Merchandising, or a related discipline
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred

Experience

• 10–12 years of experience in retail brand management within fashion, luxury, or lifestyle environments
• Proven track record of owning brand strategy, commercial performance, and P&L outcomes
• Experience working within multi-brand or multi-store retail organisations preferred

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Attributes

• Strong commercial and analytical capability with a data-driven decision-making mindset
• Solid understanding of buying strategy, assortment planning, pricing, and margin management
• Ability to translate brand strategy into clear commercial priorities and actions
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong collaboration skills with Planning, Operations, Marketing, VM, and Finance teams
• High level of proficiency in Excel and familiarity with reporting, planning, and data analysis tools
• Structured, decisive, and resilient, with the ability to balance strategic thinking and commercial pragmatism