Sr. Area Manager

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always stood for optimistic femininity. Today, the brand is a global life and style house with handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, gifts, home décor and more. Polished ease, thoughtful details and a modern, sophisticated use of color—Kate Spade New York’s founding principles define a unique style synonymous with joy. Under the vision of creative director Nicola Glass, the brand continues to celebrate confident women with a youthful spirit.

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands powered by optimism, innovation, and inclusivity.

Job Title: Senior Area Manager, Specialty, East China (including Shanghai) – 15 stores

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Retail to...

Brand Integrity across Divisions:

• Serve as the market expert, ensuring that the brand is consistently represented to kate spade standards across divisions
• Provide insight and be able to influence assortments, pricing strategies, and Visual Merchandising standards tailored specifically to the market
• Share market best practices across divisions
  • Develop systematic reporting for macro trends (real estate development, trading conditions, competitive activity, travel patterns)
• Partner with Visual Merchandiser and provide direction
  • Partner to ensure all goals & objectives are met across all divisions

Retail:

• Sales Generation & Customer Service
  • Ensure the highest level of customer service is being provided in area stores
  • Work with Store Managers to achieve sales goals
  • Recognize best sellers and superb customer service, while serving as a role model for both

• Staff Training & Development
  • Interview, screen, hire, kate spade and counsel Store Managers (and Assistant Store Managers if appropriate) in accordance with kate spade policies
  • Delegate duties and responsibilities to foster a sense of ownership among Store Managers and to increase efficiency of store operations
  • Ensure consistent management, operational practices and customer service in all stores in area
  • Work closely with Learning & Development team for kate spade training programs (e.g. kate spade Sales Training, Product Knowledge, etc.); hold regular staff meetings and initiate on-the-job training; supervise and train Management Team to develop their managerial skills.

• Merchandise Management
  • Ensure stores present merchandise in a manner that will maximize sales and achieve optimum merchandise turn, and are reflective of kate spade corporate direction.  Work in partnership with store management, RMP, and through supervision of Visual Manager
  • Stay current on product range and educate staff on competitors’ products offering
  • Oversee maintenance of accurate inventory records
  • Funnel product improvement ideas and feedback to corporate

• Operations
  • Comply with all local lease and statutory obligations as well as with local codes
  • Identify methods for lowering expenses and increasing overall store profitability
  • Ensure payroll percent is achieved
  • Attain store shrinkage goals
  • Uphold highest standards on all Company audits
  • Ensure that all HR paperwork (new hires, terminations and change in status) is promptly and accurately completed
  • Ensure Time & Attendance system is reviewed/approved on time in each payroll cycle
  • Ensure execution of performance management for Area, including reviews, goals, and disciplinary action process 

The accomplished individual will possess...

• Prior experience in an upscale retail environment, including 4 years as a multi-store manager; or previous management experience as a multi-store manager preferred
• Specific management of China market is mandatory, including knowledge of the international tourist business, specifically the foreign consumer
• Ability to work with and motivate multiple levels within the kate spade organization
• Must demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate important issues related to Market to kate spade Sr. Management, and partner on solutions
• Pro-active problem solver – ability to assess an issue and develop action steps for resolution
• Demonstrated ability to think broadly, considering all perspectives on issues, and reaching logical conclusions that best serve kate spade as a whole

Our Competencies for All Employees

• Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
• Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
• Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
• Perseverance: Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.

Our Competencies for All People Managers

• Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale
  and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
• Managerial Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.

Kate Spade is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Kate Spade at www.katespade.com.