Summary

About us Cristóbal Balenciaga founded the House in 1917 in his home of Spain. In 1937, he established the brand in Paris, designing its collections there until 1968. Cristóbal Balenciaga had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior and as “The Couturier of the Couturiers” by Gabrielle Chanel. The ultra-modern shapes were trademarks of the house. While the brand’s identity is firmly rooted in its highly conceptual prêt-à-porter collections, its leather goods, footwear, and accessories experience worldwide success as well. Among the archetypal products of the House are its handbag collections. A new focus on the development of Balenciaga ready-to-wear collections for men was quickly established as highly successful. Since October 2015, Demna has designed both men’s and women’s collections as the artistic director. The Balenciaga House, part of the Kering group since 2001, is one of the most influential names in fashion.

Job Description

BALENCIAGA - Shoes Collection Merchandising Director - H/F

We are currently in search of an experienced Shoes Collection Merchandising Director reporting to the Chief Product Officer.

Your opportunity

As Shoes Collection Merchandising Director, you are responsible for shaping and executing the product assortment strategy across the Shoes category ensuring that collections align with market demand, brand vision, and sales goals.

This role is fundamental in setting the direction for product development, assortment planning, creating collections that resonates with Balenciaga’s brand ambitions globally. By collaborating mainly with design and retail merchandising teams, the Shoes Collection Merchandising Director impulse the creation of consistent collections that meet consumer preferences and achieve financial targets.

How you will contribute

• Develop and execute collection strategies across the Shoes category, ensuring alignment with brand vision, market trends, and customer demand.

• Oversee the product lifecycle, from initial concept through to end-of-season evaluations, ensuring collections are aligned with market demand.

• Conduct ongoing market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, product opportunities, and customer preferences.

• Partner with Design, Collection coordination, Product Development, Retail Merchandising, Demand Planning and Supply Chain teams to ensure that collections meet quality, timeline, and production standards.

• Analyze sales data and customer feedback to refine collections, make in-season adjustments, and improve future product strategies.

• Collaborate with the Retail Merchandising, Pricing and Finance teams to develop pricing strategies that ensure competitive positioning and profitability across regions.

• Present seasonal collections to internal teams and key stakeholders, ensuring thorough communication of product stories, trends, and key strategies.

• Conduct special projects, limited-edition collaborations, and brand initiatives that enhance the brand’s product offering and market presence.

• Manage and develop the merchandising team, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Lead and drive the development of collections with the Italian development and industrialization teams : Calendars, briefings, development priorities, cost control, and continuous margin improvements.

• Facilitate standardization with design and development to ensure quality, lead time, and margin objectives are met.

• Control of standardization prototypes before production launch.

Who you are

• A professional with minimum 10 years of experience in merchandising, within fashion or luxury Shoes industry segment, with a proven ability to develop and implement product strategies, and experience in leading and nurturing a high-performing merchandising team.

• An industry specialist with sound knowledge of the current Shoes market and consumer trends, excellent product sensitivity, analytical and numeracy skills; and extensive experience working with design, supply chain, and retail merchandising teams to bring collections to market.

• A self-motivated individual with strong communication skills, ability to present product vision and strategies clearly to stakeholders, and thrive in a fast-changing environment, adjusting strategies as market demands evolve.

Why work with us?

This is a role within an international environment and a fast-growing House. You develop your expertise in a culture where everyone’s uniqueness is valued. You enhance your creativity, innovation and influencing skills by creating and developing corporate learning & development strategies at global level.

Balenciaga is committed to thriving your professional development within the House or in the Kering group. We empower leaders to create, build and sustain high performing teams that excel in execution. We guide every employee to reach their full potential in a stimulating and fulfilling workplace environment.

Diversity Commitment

Balenciaga is committed to fostering a diverse workforce. We believe that diversity in all its forms - gender, age, nationality, culture, disability, sexual orientation… - enriches the workplace and our client experience. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome all applications and select our talents based on competencies and in alignment with our brand behaviors. Setting people for success is what we live for. It is part of our interview process to discuss with you how to excel in our company.

Job Type

Regular

Start Date

2025-02-03

Schedule

Full time

Organization

BALENCIAGA S.A.S.