Brand Operation Lead

Job description / Role

About the Company

Azadea Group is a premier lifestyle retail company that owns and operates more than 40 leading international franchise concepts in fashion and accessories, food and beverage, home furnishings, sporting goods, multimedia, and beauty and cosmetics across the Middle East and Africa, spread across 13 countries overseeing more than 700 stores.

Job Purpose

The Brand Operations Lead is responsible for ensuring the efficiency of store operations by overseeing stockroom processes, inventories, IT projects, and Azadea operating manuals to enhance and meet customer satisfaction. He/she manages new store openings and implements safety and image standards and guidelines. Additionally, he/she optimizes all operational aspects, ensures excellence, and contributes to achieving key performance indicators (KPIs) for net sales and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the effective implementation of Azadea's Operating Manual, policies, and procedures.
• Support in resolving logistical challenges between supply planning and brand partners.
• Ensure proper implementation of image, safety, and quality audits. Implements appropriate action plans aligned with brand standards.
• Supervise activities related to government, ministries, and other public/private authorities, ensuring compliance with trade licenses, legal permits, and other regulatory requirements.
• Manage the opening of new stores by closely coordinating and following up with the brand partner and various departments.
• Set up, implement, and drive the commercial dynamism of the stores by establishing KPI targets and in-store commercial initiatives aimed at achieving these targets.
• Validate, implement, and follow up on new IT projects with the brand partners and in the stores.
• Optimize stockroom and warehouse processes by organizing and improving item displays, ensuring efficient storage, and effectively implementing health and safety standards.
• Manage shop inventories by setting stocking levels, monitoring supplies, and overseeing local product supply control.
• Manage stock budgets to ensure timely delivery of deliverables including store sales, store productivity, stock loss, and operating margin.
• Follow up and communicate with the brand partners regarding major IT issues in the stores.
• Coordinate supplier visits and serve as their primary point of contact on a daily basis. Promptly respond to their inquiries, concerns, and requests.
• Recruit, train, motivate, and evaluate the team to ensure that the department has the necessary skill base, and that staff are optimally motivated and enabled to maximize their potential and contribution to the company.

Qualifications

Language & Technical Skills

• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English. Fluency in French or Arabic is a plus.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in MS Office.
• Specific Expertise: Specific to sports goods retail: team player, project-oriented, athlete/ambassador, enthusiastic, collaborator, empathetic, entrepreneurial, and responsible.
• Active participation in at least one sporting activity and expert knowledge of sporting events.

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field.

Experience

• General Experience: Six to eight years of experience in retail or a similar role.
• Managerial Experience: Three years of experience in a managerial role.

Behavioral Competencies

• Customer Focus: Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions. For example, digs deeply into customer feedback and drives the innovations that can enable the organization to better meet customers' future needs. Frequently adjusts approach to ensure customer needs are met and to improve service.
• Decision Quality: Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. For example, knows when to act independently and when to escalate issues. Integrates various inputs, decision criteria, and trade-offs to make effective decisions. Typically makes good independent decisions.
• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. For example, takes timely action on important or difficult issues. Identifies and pursues new opportunities that benefit the organization.
• Plans and Aligns: Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. For example, outlines clear plans that put actions in a logical sequence; conveys some time frames. Aligns own work with relevant workgroups. Takes some steps to reduce bottlenecks and speed up the work.
• Ensures Accountability: Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. For example, tracks performance and strives to remain effective, learning from both successes and failures. Readily takes on challenges or difficult tasks and has a reputation for delivering on commitments.
• Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals. For example, shares own experience and expertise with others if asked. Provides constructive feedback and other support for other people's development.
• Courage: Steps up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said. For example, shares own ideas and points of view openly, regardless of potential criticism or risk; shows conviction when faced with adversity and challenges; raises difficult topics to be sure they are addressed.

Azadea Group is an equal employment employer - all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by relevant local laws.

About the Company

Azadea Group is a premier fashion and lifestyle retail company that owns and operates more than 50 leading international franchise concepts across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Europe. Since its inception in 1978, the Group has grown a substantial chain of stores representing leading international brand names in fashion and accessories, food and beverage, home furnishing, sporting goods and multimedia.With over 11,000 employees, the company boasts a solid infrastructure overseeing more than 600 stores spread across 15 countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.