Job Title: Category Finance Director
Reports to: Director of Finance
Date: October 2012
Location: Ventura, CA
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General Summary:
The Category Finance Director will work directly with, and act as a financial business partner to, the Business Unit Director (BUD), jointly owning all decisions related to category planning & financial metrics. S/he will manage the business planning, reporting and analytics for a specific portfolio of product categories to develop merchandise financial plans and strategies, and set and achieve sales, margin and inventory goals for the product teams and the Company. The Category Finance Director will also work closely with other Category Finance Directors, the Finance team and cross-functionally, to develop and generate standardized, effective planning models and analytical reporting that can easily be consolidated into global plans and reporting.

Essential Job Functions:
o Act as a financial business partner to the Business Unit Director, jointly owning all decisions related to category planning and financial metrics, with primary emphasis on the achievement of revenue and margin plans and SKU productivity improvements.
o Develop, maintain, execute and communicate strategic demand (category and style-level) and financial plans (revenue and margin) that are aligned with the merchandising strategies and global assortment priorities.
o Develop and communicate team-level objectives and strategies to drive long-term profitability and productivity for the category.
o Develop, prepare and distribute timely and insightful reporting, metrics & analytics:
- to determine revenue, margin & productivity progress against strategic plans, budget and forecast
- to support decision-making
- to actively interpret and review financial results with the Business unit Director
- to identify trends, risks and opportunities
- to drive actionable responses toward growth, profitability and productivity improvements
o Prepare Category P/L’s and monitor against the global company plan.
o Partner with Finance and Forecasting in the reconciliation of category demand plans and assortment plans with the strategic financial plans and regional/channel sales forecasts to collaboratively manage global inventory buy decisions.
o Jointly manage, with the Sales and Forecasting teams, the best course of action for inventory overages/shortages, discontinued merchandise, and inventory exit strategies.
o Analyze product costs, delivering actionable insights, and work with Product Development to improve overall team margins and margins on key programs.
o Analyze pricing and work with Finance and Sales teams on global pricing matrix.
o Prepare reporting and analytics for, and participate in, merchandise planning reviews and hindsight meetings.
o Provide direct support to Finance with financial modeling, reporting and analytics for weekly, monthly, quarterly & annual reporting, as well as ad-hoc reporting and special requests from cross-functional managers and the Company’s Executive Team.
o Work with the Category Marketing Manager, and cross-functionally within the marketing teams, to analyze the cost and report on the cost of proposed product-specific marketing programs that will impact the product category, and in support of providing insightful information & recommendations relevant to line planning and business management.
o Work cross-functionally within the supply chain to understand product-specific lead times, minimum order quantities, factory constraints, etc. in support of providing insightful information & recommendations relevant to line planning and business management.
o Work cross-functionally within the sales teams to understand region, channel and customer -specific needs and requirements in support of providing insightful information & recommendations relevant to line planning and business management.
o Assist Finance during the annual budgeting process with identifying and communicating Operational Expenses to be considered and included in the plan.
o Exhibit flexibility and willingness to take on new responsibilities and assist with various ad-hoc projects as required.

Physical Requirements:
o Must be able to sit for extended periods of time.
o Must be able to stand for extended periods of time
o Ability to look at a computer screen for extended periods of time.
o Ability to maintain a composed and professional demeanor within a flexible and (at times noisy) work environment.
o Must be able to travel internationally and domestically utilizing various transportation methods.
o Participation and understanding of the sports that the Company produces products for.

Minimum Job Qualifications:
o BA/BS required; MBA preferred.
o 10 years of progressive experience in Financial Planning and Analysis, Operational Finance, Category or Brand Finance, Merchandise Planning, Demand Planning and/or Forecasting required.
o Apparel / Outdoor / Sporting Goods / Consumer Goods / Global / Multi-Channel experience preferred.
o Strong understanding of relational databases, data structure and data elements, with an ability to analyze and/or extract and manipulate large and complex data sets.
o Advanced experience in all MS Office programs; Expert-level skills in Excel.
o Proficiency in a variety of Business Information systems, Merchandise Planning, ERP and Forecasting systems desired (preferred: BI - Cognos, Product Line Management - Flex PLM/Windchill; Merchandise/Assortment Planning – 7th Online; ERP – Microsoft Dynamix AX).
o Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
o Strong negotiating and influencing skills required, with the ability to form an opinion and the willingness to make recommendations.
o Proven ability to work in a matrix organization and team-based work structure; ability to work cooperatively in diverse cross-functional groups; ability to remain flexible and to change within the work environment and scope of responsibility.
o Project and process management preferred; strong organizational skills.
o Strong written and verbal communication skills across all levels of the organization.
o Detail-oriented and self-motivated, with the ability to work well under pressure and deadlines; demonstrates initiative, is conscientious and provides complete follow-through on areas of responsibility.
o Occasional long hours during seasonal or peak deadline periods

Employee Conduct:
It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.