Vice President Merchandising Sales

We have an exciting opportunity for an individual to join our Liverpool FC team as a Vice President, Merchandising Sales.

You will lead the development and delivery of the global sales strategies for the LFC Merchandising business for the following third-party channels:

• International retail/e-commerce – partner run
• Global Licensing
• Wholesale B2B

You will also drive top line Sales and EBITDA growth, through international ‘direct to fan’ business development.

This is a new and important role in the Merchandising leadership team that requires an individual with extensive experience managing international retail partners, wholesale partner relationships, and licensees. You will have a strategic approach and focus, always considering longer-term plans to ensure continued growth and improved performance.

What will you be doing?

Your key accountabilities will be:

TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Represent the sales function as a key member of the Merchandising leadership team.
• Build a strong, trusting, and authentic relationship with both the sales team and the wider group.
• Coach and develop the sales team to maximize their potential and performance.
• Hold regular review meetings with the team to ensure that the strategy is implemented, opportunities and risks are highlighted, key trends are identified, and performance is measured against objectives.
• Become an ambassador for the Merchandising team internally, at VP meetings and externally.
• Create a sustainable sales structure that will deliver against the annual and long-term financial plans.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT/EXECUTION

• Build and execute the ‘Direct to Fan’ sales strategy in collaboration with the Merchandising leadership team.
• Identify priority markets and potential partners to deliver significant growth.
• Use research and fan insights provided by VP, Marketing to develop commercial merchandise ranges with the VP, Product.
• Develop the account management process to maximize revenue/profit and build the optimal business relationship with our omni-channel, wholesale, and licensing partners.

SALES AND EBITDA

• Deliver sales and EBITDA targets by leading, engaging, developing, and inspiring the sales teams.
• Create annual and 5-year business plans to achieve financial goals, with a stretch plan based on additional investment, working alongside the VP Merchandising Operations and the Finance team.
• Prepare monthly reports with analysis of revenue/profit versus plan and other KPIs. Present reports and update forecasts, identifying any potential gaps with plans to minimize risk and maximize opportunity.
• Manage CAPEX, OPEX, and headcount costs to budget and identify areas of savings.
• Collaborate across departments to achieve business priorities.
• Oversee the payment of invoices to minimize bad debt.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNER BUSINESS – OMNI CHANNEL

• Develop and implement individual market strategies for the key 12 countries.
• Lead business development of both existing and new retail store, shop-in-shop, and regional e-commerce partners.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders to deliver short and long-term growth plans with individual 3rd party partners.
• Identify specific market, or cluster of markets/regional product opportunities.
• Maximize the revenue opportunity by implementing the ‘Connected Marketplace’ with key partners.
• Build data capture, fan engagement, and ongoing affinity with the Club through the introduction of ‘MyLFC’ with all international omni-channel partners.
• Maximize the number of LFC offline standalone store locations globally, supported with shop-in-shop development.
• Work alongside the e-commerce team to build ‘best in class’ web stores/retail apps with our partners that are fully integrated with the Club.
• Support e-commerce sales with online shop-in-shop stores.
• Collaborate with the Retail Operations team to deliver ‘best in class’ fan experiences at all locations.
• Work with the ‘kit supply’ partner to ensure that the appropriate level of SKUs and volume are available in the market to support our and the Retail Partners’ joint business plans.
• Work with the ‘kit supply’ partner to identify any additional opportunities.
• Ensure that partners meet and exceed their contractual obligations.
• Oversee the contractual process with key stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Liaise with Retail Marketing to position the LFC Brand in each territory in line with the marketing strategy, ensuring that partners utilize brand materials and campaigns to drive revenue growth and increase market share.
• Work alongside marketing to ensure that VM and brand guidelines are adhered to.
• Hold quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with each partner to review brand activity, business performance, identify opportunities and risks.
• Oversee the quarterly retail partner conferences to maximize sales of the seasonal.
• Develop seasonal sell-in campaigns with the Product and Marketing teams to maximize revenue.

WHOLESALE B2B

• Develop the wholesale sales strategy with the Merchandising leadership team.
• Build the global wholesale distribution to maximize revenue/profit, focusing on priority markets, to not conflict with 3rd party partners.
• Identify potential strategic wholesale accounts to increase merchandise visibility, availability, and that complement our Direct to Fan strategy.
• Where appropriate develop a SMU program that differentiates each major account.
• Oversee the contractual negotiations, terms and conditions, KPIs, and commercial process.
• Work alongside the retail marketing team to develop seasonal campaigns and promotions to maximize range sell-through and revenue.
• Collaborate with the Supply Chain team to ensure that all of the wholesale partner guidelines are costed, deliverable, and met.
• Oversee regular QBRs and general business performance meetings.

LICENSING PROGRAMME

• Develop the Licensing strategy to support the overall Merchandising objectives and Product plan.
• Identify potential licensees and category/product opportunities at country level, prioritizing key markets.
• Where appropriate appoint Licensing Agents to support ‘direct’ operations to maximize revenue/profit.
• Maximize the Minimum Guarantee and Royalty rates delivered by existing and new licensees.
• Establish a Minimum Guarantee threshold that ensures we efficiently appoint, manage and renew licensees.
• Work alongside the club’s ‘kit supplier’ to ensure that our licensed merchandise drives incremental growth.
• Collaborate with the Partnership team to identify and build co-branded licensed revenue with Club Partners.
• Build the optimal model to support the Club’s digital revenue growth with the Digital teams.
• Work with the VP Product to evaluate which product/categories should be managed in-house or through the licensing programme.
• Hold QBRs with the top 10 licensees to ensure all opportunities are identified to maximize revenue, with overall performance reviewed.

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in this role, you will have a degree in business/marketing or relevant, proven, and significant international sales and distributor management experience at a senior, leadership level. You will have experience managing retail, e-commerce, and licensing partners, as well as having established relationships with wholesale partners both in sport and wider retail. It is vital you have excellent leadership qualities and will be results-oriented with commercial acumen.

You will have an innovative approach, be flexible, and have a creative, open mindset. You will be a strong communicator and influencer at a leadership level. The right candidate will be a strategic thinker, customer-focused, and an analytical problem solver. You will understand and adopt the club’s core values and be able to work autonomously and as part of a team.

It is desirable if you can travel internationally as and when needed and have omni-channel development experience.

Why should you apply?

This is a full-time permanent position working 35 hours per week. Your main base will be our Liverpool city centre office, which is close to local bars, shops, and restaurants and has great views over the river Mersey.

To reward your hard work and commitment, we offer a competitive salary, 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays and the option to purchase up to an additional 5 days) and a contributory pension scheme.

You will have access to our benefits kit bag where you can get high street discounts, and a selection of benefit schemes you can join. There are opportunities to get involved with volunteering through our LFC Foundation to give back to the local community.

At Liverpool Football Club, we have an unwavering commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion and are always looking to make a positive difference in the communities that we operate within. We are proud of our achievements in this area; maintaining the Premier League Equality Standard Advanced Level, becoming a founding signatory of the Football Association’s Football Leadership Diversity Code, and being recognized as a leader in this important area on and off the pitch. We take our responsibilities in this area seriously and through the work being done across the club, we are committed to increasing the diversity of our people and becoming an increasingly inclusive workplace for all. We are committed to hiring great people representative of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills across our entire business. If you share our enthusiasm and passion for inclusivity, then we want to hear from you.

Liverpool FC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all Colleagues and Volunteers to share this commitment.

• Business Area Merchandising & E-commerce

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