Manager, National Accounts (Pure Players)

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Job Description

We're FORMA. An incubator, accelerator, and curator of today's beauty brands.

We celebrate, support, and seek those changing the world through creative expression. Each brand in our portfolio is thoughtfully selected, acquired, or created because of the products it offers, the stories it tells, and the beauty it spreads.

We're a team made of: Equal parts thinkers and doers. Visionaries and operators. Strategists and creatives- we're united by a fierce entrepreneurial spirit. Our dive in, roll your sleeves up, get your hands' dirty approach to every project leads to extraordinary outcomes, and to some of the most popular beauty products on shelves today. We're a creative, professional, highly collaborative, seasoned, well-oiled team. We're in the business of beauty for a reason. There's nothing our team of 200+ people loves more than a good challenge, a great product, and the opportunity to make, celebrate, and spread beauty at scale.

FORMA has a flexible work program designed to create options for our corporate team-members, which provide greater flexibility, additional well-being + work life balance options, and allows us the ability to widen our talent pool + increase diversity in our organization.

We know our team-members want flexibility, with the ability to maintain a physical space to connect + collaborate with each other. We have adapted our ways of working + found the value in the flexibility it provides. Our team-members work 2 -3 days per week in our London office (soon to move to Marylebone).

Summary of Position:

As Wholesale Account Manager for FORMA Brands key wholesale account partners, this role is responsible for the growth and success of all pure player partnerships with the UK and parts of Europe. You will be responsible for increasing brand and awareness, market share and ranking.

Principle Accountabilities:

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

• Full P&L accountability for defined wholesale accounts, including sales plan, brand growth, market share, and gross margin
• Create and implement wholesale customer plans to deliver brand vision, sales and budgeted growth objectives
• Build mutually beneficial relationships with all buyers and stakeholders, and lead strategy meetings to proactively deliver positive outcomes for all. Ensure all internal stakeholder functions contribute positively to partner meetings.
• Oversee the successful delivery of online activities that drive brand awareness, growth and sales
• Define productive assortments per partner aligned with brand strategy, analysing category success and reacting to trends

MARKETING

• Negotiate and implement strong trade marketing plans with strategic partners focussing on an omni-channel experience in line with brand and business objectives.
• Partner to understand best practices and opportunities with their customers and platforms.
• Analyse KPIs including return-on-investment on all campaigns and opportunities
• Full ownership of marketing budgets per partner
• Partner with internal local and global teams to capitalise on opportunities to drive sales and raise awareness
• Partner with local and global influencer, PR and social teams to identify opportunities to drive pure player account sales and increase brand awareness through relevant channels

FORECASTING & PLANNING

• Accurately forecast sales, inventory needs and profit of the brand across key accounts, with support from the local and global Operations teams
• Management of wholesale account inventories, partnering with Operations to ensure OTIF replenishment and merchandising
• Supporting EU Operations team to deliver target OTIF for wholesale partners
• Partner with Planning team on building accurate SKU-level forecasts on core and newness, providing business insights to inform decisions

BUSINESS DEVLEOPMENT

• Support on effective negotiation of multi-year wholesale account contracts, delivering profitable business growth by following the company forecasting and financial planning process

REPORTING

• Weekly sales reporting across all accounts, including SKU-level forecast and sell-out data
• Track and report on applicable KPIs, defining and utilising insights to build continued brand awareness, growth, sales and ranking
• Monitor EPOS performance to spot trends and insights, to inform future programme of brand activity
• Deliver all relevant sales reporting, including weekly, quarterly and annual. Update sales forecasts in line with FORMA Brands schedules and maintain budgets on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
• Partner with Senior Wholesale Manager to identify new wholesale accounts, in line with the FORMA Brands expansion strategy

Fiscal Accountabilities: Each wholesale account sales plan, P&L and marketing plan budget

Key Working Relationships:

• Senior Manager, Wholesale Sales
• SVP EMEA/AU/Canada
• Business Managers, wholesale accounts
• Manager, Retail Operations
• Visual Merchandising Team
• People Team
• Finance Team
• Operations Team
• PR & Marketing Teams

Required Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience in managing high turnover, key strategic accounts within a fast-paced, retail environment essential, preferably within beauty and/or colour cosmetics.
• Prior experience in partnering with pure player accounts at an account management level.
• Prior experience of successfully project managing the onboarding and launching of new partnerships advantageous.
• An exceptional negotiator, with proven commercial acumen and extensive prior management of sales plans and budgets.
• Highly creative with a keen sense of brand and industry awareness, and the ability to create and deliver effective marketing plans.
• Sound understanding of marketing and merchandising, with the proven ability to manage and deliver sales through wholesale partners.
• Must possess strong management, interpersonal, communication and organizational skills, including the ability to effectively collaborate with field employees.
• An affinity to the brand position and vision and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
• Highly analytical, with advanced Excel skills and excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent MS Word, PowerPoint skills essential, as well as presentation and project management skills.
• Experience in a dynamic, high-growth, stand-alone role preferred.
• Relevant degree in business or marketing preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to perform essential functions (with or without an accommodation) without posing a "direct threat" to the health and safety to self or others.