Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Looking for Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Columbus, OH Full Time

Job Description

The Vice President of Corporate Strategy will lead a high-profile Corporate Strategy team, reporting to the EVP of Corporate Strategy, Transformation and Business Development. The role will support the Executive Leadership Team, a wide range of Corporate Functions, as well as key business partners on various strategic and operational initiatives that support the execution of a global, well-articulated, multi-year “Always Forward” Long-Range Plan. This position will serve as a leading team member across a variety of project types including assessing progress of business strategies against OKR’s, execution of those strategies, solving complex internal operational issues and preparing materials and coordination for the Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors.

The role has four key accountabilities: 1) Facilitate the development and refresh of the company’s “Always Forward” Long-Range Plan, 2) Manage large cross-functional projects related to key strategic issues/priorities at the enterprise level, 3) Lead high-impact strategy initiatives in support of key ANF priorities, and 4) Provide insight into the impact of external market, competitive considerations that could impact ANF’s end-to-end business performance, global expansion, or strategic direction.

This person should be a proven leader, with excellent executive communication skills and boundless curiosity to learn and better the company. A strong understanding of business fundamentals and prior experience with an international retailer are a must.

This job is located at our Global Home Office in Columbus, Ohio.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Lead and facilitate the development of our annual corporate strategic plan to maximize growth and profitability of the company’s total revenue base and brand/product/channel portfolio.
• Manage our Long-Range Planning process, which entails working closely with both the Executive team and key functional leadership, ensuring we are executing against the various initiatives that will drive ANF Corp.’s long-term growth.
• Help drive cross-functional initiatives that are tied to our Long-Range Plan and that the Company has deemed to be most critical to our future growth; this may include working with departments such as Real Estate, Regional Managing Directors, Product, Marketing, Digital Experience, Business Development, Financial Planning & Analysis, and others.
• Lead a complex high-profile portfolio of strategy projects that provide insight and direction for key strategic levers such as market-shaping and development, expanding into new business segments, sharpening competitive advantages, territory and/or product prioritization, enterprise digital strategies, ESG strategies, market and consumer research strategies, all of which will support our growth initiatives and operational optimization across the company
• Develop and bring to bear deep expertise in market dynamics to identify key trends and appropriately assess opportunities to guide strategic direction.
• Oversee competitive market research, peer strategy analysis, leveraging resources and insights from a broad range of functional experts and data sources.
• Manage team of dedicated corporate strategy associates as well as serve as a Center of Excellence, overseeing regional strategy leads. Create an engaging, productive, and balanced work environment where team members are encouraged and motivated to collaborate and excel.
• Prepare presentations and materials for the Executive Team, the Board of Directors, and other key stakeholders (both internal and external)
• Aid in development of new business model opportunities to supplement our Long-Range Plan, with a specific mandate to recommend when and how we should address these opportunities.
• Partner with our brands on identifying strategic opportunities, informed by market and competitor research, leading brand offsites and global strategy summit meetings.
• Build brand and regional strategies to help realize the ambitions of our corporate Long-Range Plan by providing market intelligence leadership, reflecting a clear perspective on the customer mindset and state of the retail market. Support our executive leadership with strategic research and insights, developing mastery of market and competitor research to inform pivotal decisions
• Challenge the status quo and leadership team in a thought provoking way
• Partner with our customer insights and analytics teams which oversee quantitative and qualitative customer research studies, omnichannel shopping analytics, and loyalty/CRM to derive and articulate actionable business recommendations.
• From time to time, manage and provide oversight and direction to teams from external strategy consulting firms

What Are We Looking For?

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex information in a straightforward way to all levels of the organization
• A visionary strategist and scaler, adept at connecting the dots between vision, the innovations and the infrastructure required to achieve it
• Demonstrated ability to engage with and influence decision-making at all levels of the organization (CEO, ELT, Brand, Operations, functional leaders and other functional counterparts).
• An agile leader of a broad portfolio of strategic initiatives sponsored by executive leaders who is able to effectively identify synergies across these initiatives. Able to think creatively and strategically, and to prioritize and manage multiple projects to conclusion.
• Ability to work collaboratively and openly with cross-functional business partners in a non-hierarchical, ‘titles at the door’ business environment
• A data enthusiast who brings a very detail-oriented yet adaptable approach to problem solving with experience analyzing complex data to develop insights and make recommendations
• A lifelong learner who is eager to grow and innovate
• Entrepreneurial, self-starter who is comfortable with change and ambiguity and able to handle significant responsibility

What Do You Need To Bring?

• 10+ years of experience in a strategy, consulting, or investment banking role, with a focus on retail, apparel, DTC brands, or ecommerce.
• Understands trends in retail, brand and apparel industry, aware of competitor strategies, knowledge of dynamics in both the US and a global business with globally distributed teams
• Experience with key frameworks related to corporate strategy, brand development, commercialization, and business development.
• Experience in designing a multi-year corporate strategy for a large, global organization and in developing and executing strategic plans for business growth required.
• Good understanding of financial accounting, modeling and valuation
• Experience in a highly strategic retail or brand organization with international markets and Wholesale, Franchise, Licensing retail business segments preferred

Our Company

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) is a global retailer of five iconic, omnichannel lifestyle brands catering to the kid through millennial customer: Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist. At A&F Co., we’re here for our associates, customers and communities on the journey to being and becoming who they are – and because no journey is the same, we strive to create an inclusive culture, where everyone is free to share ideas. 

Our Values

We lead with purpose and always put our people first, which is evidenced by our Great Place to Work™ Certification, as well as being a 2021 recipient of Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Retail, and named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign for 16 consecutive years. We’re proud to offer equitable compensation and benefits, including flexibility and competitive Paid Time Off, as well as education and engagement events, including various Associate Resource Groups, volunteer opportunities and additional time off to give back to our global communities. 

What You’ll Get

As an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) associate, you’ll be eligible to participate in a variety of benefit programs designed to fit you and your lifestyle. A&F is committed to providing simple, competitive, and comprehensive benefits that align with our Company’s culture and values, but most importantly – with you! We also provide competitive incentives to reward the commitment our associates have for moving our global business forward:

• Incentive bonus program
• 401(K) savings plan with company match
• Annual companywide review process
• Flexible spending accounts
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Associate assistance program
• Paid parental and adoption leave
• Access to fertility and adoption benefits through Carrot
• Access to mental health and wellness app, Headspace
• Paid Caregiver Leave
• Mobile Stipend
• Paid time off & one paid volunteer day per year, allowing you to give back to your community
• Work from anywhere (Mondays and Fridays are “work from anywhere” days for most roles & six work from anywhere weeks per year)
• Seven associate wellness half days per year
• Onsite fitness center
• Merchandise discount on all of our brands
• Opportunities for career advancement, we believe in promoting from within
• Access to multiple Associate Resource Groups
• Global team of people who will celebrate you for being YOU!

Additional Information

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER