General Manager North America

Title and Reporting Relationships

Position Title: General Manager North America

Reports to: CEO

Location: San Clemente, USA

Region: North America (USA, Canada and Central America)

ROLE PURPOSE

The General Manager of North America is responsible for driving sales growth and brand awareness together with managing the day-to-day operations of the Rip Curl business. This position is responsible for motivating our crew to fulfil the Company Vision and uphold the Company Principles & Values to deliver on agreed strategic priorities to achieve budgeted sales & profitability targets.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leadership & Communication

• Build, lead, motivate and inspire the regional team to maximise profitability and deliver on short- and long-term group strategic and operational plans and budgets, whilst continuing to drive the ongoing business operations.
• Build and maintain a positive high-performance culture with strong employee engagement.
• Convey the company values to the crew through your leadership.
• Develop effective succession planning throughout the organisation, building and maintaining a culture of ongoing staff development.
• In partnership with Head Office build and execute three-year plan that supports Global Strategy for the North America, United States region

Finance and Risk

• Recommend yearly budget for Head Office and subsequent Board approval.
• Review the company’s monthly financial results, ensuring that results are managed within budgets. Where variances are expected, proactively communicate such variations in a timely way to the Group CFO and CEO.
• Ensure the financial stability of the company (e.g. working capital, expense management, cashflow etc).
• Oversee regional inventory purchases for wholesale and retail, to manage the risk of excess inventory.
• Ensure appropriate controls and review processes regionally to ensure the company’s assets are protected and risk of loss is managed.
• Ensure full compliance with all appropriate legal and statutory regulations.
• Drive Health & Safety compliance and drive employee wellbeing.

Wholesale Sales

• Develop the wholesale sales strategy to drive sales in the North American market ensuring it’s reflective of the global strategy.
• Build a long-range distribution plan that drives brand awareness, growth and profitability in support of the DTC priorities.
• Develop and nurture quality relationships with both the sales team and our customers, ensuring an active presence in market
• Maximize existing wholesale partners to further drive Rip Curl awareness and market position through robust storytelling, assortments, and activations.
• Grow our wholesale sales account base with market leading product offerings, reflective of customer segmentation and seasonality.
• Open new doorways for wholesale sales in the Region.
• Identify and execute on partner store opportunities, benefiting both our existing customers and store growth ambitions.
• Ensure on time and in full deliveries to the wholesale customers.
• Lead the sales team to achieve sales budgets by product category and geographical territory.

Marketing

• Execute global marketing assets in region to ensure we stay within the principle of one world, one brand.
• Drive grass roots initiatives, inclusive of local team, events and local POP.
• Ensure online presence is consistent and integrated with our branding and product initiatives.

eCommerce

• Own and drive wholesale growth opportunities outside of Rip Curl’s own eCommerce .
• Work with GM eCommerce to support eCommerce growth and unified commerce deliverables in region.

Product

• Ensure local product teams are following global merchandise initiatives and working in an integrated cohesive manner with the global merchandise team.
• Work with GM Product to ensure regional needs are met and maximised while supporting 100% globalisation of the range.

Retail

• Work with GM Retail on a retail expansion strategy for North America, identifying the potential locations for retail expansion. Execute to the agreed strategy with store openings as approved by Head Office.
• Provide regular feedback to the global heads of retail and product, on how our product and retail execution can improve.
• Ensure Retail crew are connected to the wider team and developed through the business.

Operations

• Execute on the strategy and direction set by the KMD Brands Group functions and Rip Curl Global functional heads to ensure process improvement, productivity, efficiency, quality, service, on time delivery and cost-effective management of resources.
• Oversee brand operations in North America on a day-to-day basis with the support of KMD Brands Group functions inclusive of office, warehousing, logistics, service centre, customer service, administration.

Compliance & Intellectual Property

• Ensure Rip Curl operates lawfully and according to accepted Corporate Compliance standards, including industrial relations, employment, and safety laws.
• Foster and cultivate Rip Curl and KMD Brands’ B-Corp certification and Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) requirements.
• Ensure knowledge and protection of our Intellectual Property.
• Understand and avoid infringement of copyright and trademark of other brands.

Company & Brand Values

• Live the company & brand values.
• Ensure that all crew understand the company & brand values.
• Ensure that all business activities are in line with the company values.
• Ensure your region portrays a brand voice consistent to the brand values handbook, through close liaison with global and regional ad promo managers.
• Conduct ongoing workshops to reinforce these values.

Essential Qualities

• Ability to charismatically engage & lead.
• Ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule and travel.
• Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures.
• Demonstrated change management skills.
• Ability to develop financial plans and manage resources.
• Ability to analyse and interpret financial data
• Professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Determination & commitment to succeed.
• Ability to demonstrate tenacity, initiative, and strategic agility.
• Own intrinsic values are in line with company values:
  • Customers
  • Creativity & Innovation
  • Committed Crew
  • Community & Environment
  • Honesty & Integrity
• Ability to guide organisation in line with these company values
• Lives the Search

Qualification & Experience Requirements

• Tertiary qualification in relevant field.
• Minimum of ten years’ experience in a leadership role for a large division or company.
• Track record of driving business to exceed sales targets & budgets.
• Experience in formulating policy and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures.
• Proven experience & success in coaching & developing executive teams.
• Proven success in developing & managing talent.
• Understanding of and connection to the board sports industry.