Head of Sourcing Strategy

Role Overview

This position is designed to bridge the gap between global sourcing and product development, ensuring that sourcing serves as a strategic enabler from the very beginning. You will play a pivotal role in fostering robust partnerships across various teams, including Innovation, Creation, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sustainability, thereby promoting a learning culture that enhances both quality and on-time delivery. Your ultimate goal will be to create and implement a sourcing roadmap that facilitates the seamless execution of our product portfolio while balancing cost, quality, and delivery objectives.

Team Dynamics

Join the innovative Product Organization, responsible for designing, developing, and sourcing groundbreaking products.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Alignment: Foster close collaboration between the sourcing organization primarily located in Vietnam and the broader product organization based in Switzerland.
• Integrate Sourcing Considerations: Ensure that sourcing requirements are strategically embedded into the product roadmap, making all projects ‘sourcing ready’ by the product freeze stage.
• Stakeholder Management: Act as a strategic partner among cross-functional teams including Innovation, Creation, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sustainability.
• Learning Culture: Institutionalize a ‘learning culture & process’ within the product development framework to systematically enhance quality and on-time delivery.
• Portfolio Execution: Develop a comprehensive sourcing roadmap that supports the flawless execution of the product portfolio, carefully balancing cost, quality, and delivery goals.

Candidate Profile

• 8+ years of progressive experience in strategic footwear sourcing and production operations, with additional experience in apparel and accessories being a plus.
• Product Development Acumen: Strong background in the product development lifecycle, emphasizing sourcing integration points and experience across upstream product strategy, innovation, product creation, and quality management.
• Cross-Functional Connectivity: Ability to connect the dots across various functions and navigate ambiguity while adapting to changing priorities.
• Leadership Skills: Capable of managing a portfolio of complex, cross-functional projects.
• Strategic Thinking & Execution: Proven track record in converting strategic objectives into actionable plans and ensuring their successful execution within a complex organizational context.
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Experience in global organizations, showcasing effective collaboration between geographically dispersed teams, especially between Europe and Asia.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with diverse internal stakeholders, influencing outcomes and achieving consensus.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Experience in adopting continuous improvement methodologies and nurturing a learning-centered environment.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical abilities to evaluate complex trade-offs (cost, quality, delivery) and devise effective solutions, alongside the skill to structure and simplify intricate problems.
• Communication Skills: Proficient in articulating complex ideas clearly and persuasively, engaging and aligning with senior leaders effectively.