Senior Merchandising Manager

Why This Mission:

SEAA Regional Merchandising is evolving to steer the region through strong and promising product strategy, planning, buying governance and cross-market orchestration. The Regional team partners with the local markets and creates impacts - by connecting Global vision with market realities, scaling expertise and improving business and inventory performance across SEAA. 

At the heart of this role is Creation, expressed through collections throughout the year. The Senior Merchandising Manager translates collection intent into clear regional product strategies and actionable plans, while safeguarding Brand Image, Fashion authority and local relevance. The role enables markets to focus on client-centric execution, local bets, One Boutique One Story and end-to-end orchestration. 

Impact You Can Create in the Role: 

STEER REGIONAL PRODUCT STRATEGY 

• Act as the regional product expert, bridging Global vision, Divisional direction and market opportunities. 

• Define, communicate and cascade regional category strategies, collection priorities and business ambitions across SEAA. 

• Bring a strong point of view on Fashion energy, desirability, client relevance and sustainable growth. 

LEAD PLANNING, BUYING STRATEGY AND GOVERNANCE 

• Partner with Merchandising Planning to translate business ambitions into robust OTB, sales forecasts and category plans. 

• Define the regional buying strategy, assortment architecture and recommendations from pre-buy through post-buy. 

• Lead regional/core buys for assigned categories, integrating market input while improving consistency, precision and efficiency. 

• Review market buys, challenge assumptions and identify risks, missed opportunities and local relevance gaps. 

MAXIMIZE COLLECTION AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE 

• Orchestrate the collection cycle across markets, from pre-buy insights and launch preparation to in-season actions, markdown and end-of-season. 

• Establish clear performance governance through relevant KPIs, conduct regular business reviews and provide actionable recommendations. 

• Share best practices, influence local markets and scale successful initiatives to unlock the full potential of collections across SEAA. 

DRIVE INVENTORY PRODUCTIVITY 

• Partner with Planning, Supply Chain, Business Finance and markets to identify inventory risks and opportunities early. 

• Lead regional stock optimization through transfers, diversions and end-of-season actions, balancing sales potential, availability and inventory risk. 

REGIONAL ORCHESTRATION AND PARTNERSHIP 

• Create an effective co-creation model with markets, ensuring regional scale while protecting local relevance and strategy 

• Orchestrate cross-functional alignment with Retail, Visual Merchandising, Styling, Learning, Press, Operations and Finance to enable seamless execution. 

• Serve as a trusted interface across Global, Regional and Market teams, influencing decisions through insight, clarity and constructive challenge. 

BUILD CAPABILITY AND NEW WAYS OF WORKING 

• Elevate merchandising capability across the region through coaching, knowledge sharing, tools and common standards. 

You Are Energised By 

• Combining a passion for luxury Fashion and Creation with strong product and business acumen. 

• Shaping strategy and influencing decisions across a diverse, multi-market region. 

• Connecting Global ambition with market realities and turning insights into action. 

• Using data, judgment and curiosity to improve planning, buying and performance. 

• Leading through influence in a collaborative, matrixed and fast-paced environment. 

• Challenging established ways of working and creating simpler, more scalable solutions. 

What You Will Bring 

• Proven leadership experience and strong expertise in merchandising and buying within the luxury Fashion industry. 

• Strong product sensitivity, commercial judgment and understanding of collection, client and market dynamics. 

• Demonstrated ability to define regional strategy, lead complex buying cycles and translate insights into measurable business actions. 

• Solid analytical capability across OTB, planning & forecasting, assortment, sell-through and inventory productivity. 

• Excellent influencing, stakeholder management and communication skills across Global, Regional and Market teams. 

• Ability to lead, coach and develop teams, while building capability beyond direct reporting lines. 

• Innovative and pragmatic mindset, with the courage to test, learn and continuously improve ways of working. 

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, balance regional efficiency with local relevance and drive collective accountability. 

At CHANEL, we are focused on creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth and contributes to collective progress. We believe the uniqueness of each individual increases the diversity, complementarity and effectiveness of our teams.