Sales Manager - Next Sourcing - Fixed Term Contract

Working Pattern: Typically 5 days onsite, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.

The Role
If you have a flair for product, outstanding commercial awareness and Childrenswear sourcing knowledge this opportunity might be of interest. We are looking for a Head of Childrenswear Sales to help lead our Sales team. This is a great development opportunity and the chance to work within a fantastic team.

Next Sourcing stands as a fully owned subsidiary of Next PLC, known for its commitment to excellence in the apparel and footwear industry. We are driven by innovation and are dedicated to delivering high-quality products and exceptional experiences to the Next Brand. We are excited to welcome a passionate and experienced Sales manager to lead our team. This role will report into the Sales Director.

What You’ll Take On

• Sales Team: Leading a team of Sales Managers, monitoring sales performance and providing guidance, motivation and support to improve results. As well as Inspiring, mentoring, and developing your team to reach their full potential.
• Relationship Management: Effectively manage and cultivate relationships with our existing clients, Next Sourcing UK teams, and Next Sourcing overseas teams.
• Strategic Collaboration: Work with sourcing teams in the territories on clear strategies, in advance of the season, to bring the best offer to our branded clients. This includes identifying key opportunities for each brand and working on comprehensive product offers that ensure strong product development, competitive pricing, and quick response times.
• Performance Monitoring: Monitor Next Sourcing sales performance and provide guidance, motivation, and support to the teams in territories to improve results. This involves tracking and analyzing sales targets, identifying areas for improvement, and reporting progress to senior management.
• Opportunity Identification: Constantly identify new product opportunities and areas for potential growth. Sell these ideas to the brands, work towards converting these opportunities into orders, and drive new sales opportunities for the company.
• Product Development: Be heavily involved in product development, driving new opportunities from concept and sourcing through to ready-to-buy products.
• Critical Path Management: Manage the Next Sourcing critical path, ensuring products are designed and delivered according to key dates such as range reviews and selections.
• Sales and Influence: Sell product offers to each brand with conviction, using your influence to help evolve their ranges. Drive sales for the company by ensuring alignment with each brand’s needs.
• Negotiations: Assist with price negotiations, delivery negotiations, and small quantity order negotiations as necessary. Deliver competitive prices, timely deliveries, and excellent service to the Next buying teams.
• Troubleshooting: Act as a link between each brand and Next Sourcing teams in territories, assisting with troubleshooting where needed to ensure Next Sourcing remains the first choice for customers.
• Travel Requirements: Travel will be required for seasonal territory visits, trade shows, and inspiration trips.

This is the perfect opportunity for someone looking to progress and really accelerate their development.

What You’ll Bring
Proven experience in leading a team, with strong negotiation and communication skills. You will need a strong product development background with extensive sourcing knowledge. Experience in a similar role managing branded products and nurturing relationships would be preferable. You should demonstrate exceptional commercial awareness and a comprehensive understanding of trends, along with a solid grasp of product development and manufacture. The ability to work effectively within your department's team while being highly personable and engaging across the business is essential. You should be experienced and capable of presenting new concepts and suggestions to encourage new sales opportunities, as well as selling product offerings to key stakeholders within each brand with conviction.

This is an exciting opportunity to take overall accountability for both driving sales, while leading a talented team at the forefront of Next Sourcing.
Additionally, you will need the drive and enthusiasm to follow tasks through to completion, along with strong problem-solving skills. Experience gained within buying, merchandising, brand sourcing, or from a supplier background would also be highly beneficial.

Your Team
NEXT Sourcing is so much more than just a British retailer. From Istanbul to Shanghai, our Sourcing teams live and work in some of the most iconic cities in the world.

They're at the heart of finding, developing and delivering the products our customers love, wear and use every day. Located across the globe, our Next Sourcing teams specialise in all different parts of the sourcing operation, from design and technology to product development. If you’ve always wanted to live and work abroad, this is the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

Sponsorship
Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.

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Benefits