Director of Operations

Job Title

Head of BU (Director)

About our Client

A global leader in performance apparel, athletic and lifestyle products, serving consumers across diverse markets worldwide.

Location

Seoul, Korea

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a general manager for the Korea category, creating and executing Go To Market plans aligned with global Business Units to drive brand and business success.
• Develop and steer a 3–5 year category ambition plan for Korea, based on local strategic priorities and the overall global BU process, in collaboration with global stakeholders.
• Provide Business Unit leadership across all related functions and departments, defining category vision, strategic objectives, key actions, and financial targets consistent with brand direction.
• Deliver the financial expectations set out in the BU and Integrated Business Planning (IBP), ensuring targets are met across all relevant channels and applicable countries within the business scope.
• Establish and continuously monitor the Korea pricing corridor for the category range, ensuring alignment with brand positioning, market conditions, and commercial requirements.
• Define and implement Korea country and channel allocation strategies for globally allocated products, optimizing distribution and availability for the category portfolio.
• Set category CI requirements and lead communication with the Global BU, ensuring that Korea-specific needs are clearly articulated and appropriately prioritized in global decision-making.
• Select and deliver a commercially viable, compelling range and concept line-up for Korea that supports the overall brand strategy, purpose, and long-term direction.
• Take ownership of BU category forecasting within the IBP process across all channels, ensuring accurate demand planning and alignment with financial targets.
• Assume responsibility for category sell-through performance across Korea, develop performance tracking dashboards, and share regular updates and insights with the Global BU.
• Promote and embed a performance and development culture consistent with the organization’s people values, ensuring these values guide daily work and decision-making.
• Drive employee engagement across the category team, leading by example and maintaining clear communication and alignment with strategic goals.
• Identify high-potential talents within and beyond the immediate team, and systematically develop them to support a robust succession plan for key roles.
• Provide cross-functional experiences and exposure to high-potential talents, both inside and outside the team, to broaden capabilities and prepare future leaders.
• Manage allocated category OPEX and T&E budgets, ensuring expenditures are aligned with business priorities and support efficient, effective execution of plans.

Key Requirements

• University degree in Business (MBA preferred) or equivalent professional experience, ideally with a focus on Merchandising /AP, Sales, and/or Marketing in relevant sectors.
• Previous experience managing in a global matrix organization is required, with demonstrated ability to navigate complex reporting lines and decision-making structures.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in merchandising or product roles, marketing, and sales or retail functions, with responsibility for category or business performance.
• Experience in outdoor and lifestyle products, or consumer goods industry is required, with familiarity across product lines and category-specific challenges in this sector.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, articulate, and implement effective strategies that connect category ambitions with measurable commercial and brand outcomes.
• Proven leadership and management experience, including successfully leading diverse teams and exercising effective remote management in complex organizational settings.
• Broad Marketing background combined with expert Merchandising knowledge, evidenced by a clear track record of success across relevant product and category roles.
• Extensive cross-functional and stakeholder management experience across commercial functions such as marketing and sales, and support functions including finance at Global and Market levels.
• Strong industry knowledge across multiple sectors, including apparel, accessories, personal care and general consumer, and an understanding of category dynamics across all business sectors.
• Expert understanding of consumers, key accounts, economic environment, and commercial needs in the Korean market, enabling effective local category decision-making.
• Fluent in English is required, with fluency in the local language preferred where applicable to market needs and stakeholder communication.
• Strong executive communication skills in Korean and English, with the ability to influence and gain alignment from senior stakeholders and channel leaders.
• Collaborative leadership style that balances partnership-building with clear accountability for delivering results and meeting agreed business targets.
• Ability to lead effectively across a diverse team structure, providing guidance and support to both senior and junior team members in the current organizational setup.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a high level of ownership and initiative, driving continuous improvement and proactively identifying opportunities within the category.

Contact

Rebecca Yoo, Associate Director

+82.2.6200.9788

[email protected]