Regional Brands Manager
Job Description: Regional Brand Manager . Birkenstock (Singapore & Malaysia)
About the Role
We are seeking a dynamic, commercially driven, and fashion-forward Regional Brand Manager to spearhead the growth and retail transformation of Birkenstock across Singapore and Malaysia.
Going beyond traditional brand management, this high-impact role sits at the intersection of commercial retail operations, strategic merchandising, and principal relationship management. You will be responsible for reimagining and revamping our current retail structure across an extensive network of doors in both countries, transforming the division into a high-performing, sales-driven powerhouse.
The ideal candidate is an articulate, personable leader who blends deep expertise in footwear merchandising and premium brand stewardship with a modern, tech-savvy approach to retail management—leveraging AI-driven analytics (such as Palexy) to optimize floor performance and elevate customer service standards to best-in-class levels.
Key Responsibilities
1. Commercial Retail Transformation & Sales Leadership
Revamp the Retail Structure: Audit, reimagine, and reconfigure the existing retail framework across Singapore and Malaysia to transition the business into an agile, fiercely commercial, and sales-driven division.
Drive Top-Line & Bottom-Line Growth: Own the P&L for the brand across both markets, setting ambitious revenue targets and KPIs (Conversion Rate, ATV, UPT, Sales per Sq. Ft.) across an extensive network of mono-brand stores and shop-in-shops.
Elevate Service Standards: Overhaul current in-store customer service protocols. Design and implement comprehensive training programs, mystery shopping audits, and incentive structures to cultivate a customer-first, high-conversion retail culture.
Build a Progressive Retail Team: Recruit, mentor, and inspire Area Managers, Store Managers, and frontline ambassadors, fostering a progressive, accountable, and sales-focused mindset across all doors.
2. Tech-Enabled Retail Operations
AI & Retail Analytics Integration: Champion the adoption and daily utilization of AI-fuelled retail management and video analytics platforms (e.g., Palexy) to track footfall, analyze customer journey heatmaps, optimize staff scheduling, and maximize store conversion rates.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Translate complex retail metrics and AI insights into actionable floor strategies for store managers and visual merchandisers.
3. Footwear Merchandising, Buying & Allocation
Strategic OTB & Range Planning: Lead seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning and product selection, balancing Birkenstock’s iconic core silhouettes with seasonal fashion-forward and premium designer collaborations.
Precision Allocation & Inventory Management: Oversee end-to-end footwear merchandising and stock allocation across Singapore and Malaysia. Ensure optimal size curves, localization for different store profiles, timely replenishment, and proactive aging-stock liquidation to maximize full-price sell-through.
Visual Merchandising Excellence: Ensure all stores strictly adhere to global visual merchandising guidelines while optimizing product placement for commercial sell-through.
4. Principal Relationship & Premium Brand Marketing
Principal Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact and brand custodian for the Birkenstock Principal. Cultivate a transparent, collaborative, and strategic partnership through regular business reviews, market reports, and forecasting.
Premium Brand & Marketing Management: Work closely with the Principal’s regional/global marketing teams to localize and execute global brand campaigns, high-profile public relation initiatives, VIP activations, and new store openings.
Brand Equity Protection: Uphold Birkenstock’s positioning as a heritage, premium international lifestyle and designer-collaborative brand across all retail touchpoints, marketing channels, and wholesale partners.
Key Requirements & Qualifications
Experience: Minimum 6–8 years of progressive experience in Brand Management and Retail Operations within the footwear, fashion, or premium international lifestyle/designer brand sector.
Regional Multi-Door Expertise: Proven track record of managing an extensive network of retail doors across multiple territories (experience managing both Singapore and Malaysia markets is highly advantageous).
Commercial & Retail Acumen: Demonstrated success in restructuring retail teams, driving aggressive sales turnarounds, and significantly raising customer service standards.
Footwear Merchandising Mastery: Deep understanding of footwear buying, size-curve analysis, store grading, and cross-border inventory allocation.
Principal Management: Extensive experience working directly with brand principals/headquarters of premium international brands, navigating global brand guidelines while fighting for local commercial needs.
Tech-Savvy: Hands-on experience utilizing modern POS, ERP, and AI-powered retail analytics software (specifically Palexy or similar computer-vision retail tools) to drive store productivity.
Personal Attributes:
Articulate, confident communicator with a pleasant, collaborative demeanor and strong executive presence.
Fashionable with a strong affinity for contemporary footwear, styling, and lifestyle trends.
Hands-on leader who spends time on the retail floor coaching teams rather than managing solely from behind a desk.
Mobility: Based in Singapore with the flexibility and willingness to travel frequently to Malaysia to oversee retail operations and store teams.
What We Offer
The opportunity to take full ownership of a globally iconic, high-growth heritage brand across two key Southeast Asian markets.
Autonomy to reshape and modernize the retail division using cutting-edge retail technology.
A competitive remuneration package (Base Salary + Regional Performance Incentives) commensurate with experience.