Director Global Wholesale Operations

Works with the VP Global Wholesale to elevate commercial practices and operations and build a best-in-class Centre of Excellence dedicated to wholesale distribution. It is instrumental in driving and executing the commercial strategy and providing business guidance to regions through appropriate processes, rules, and guardrails. The role acts as a liaison across global functions, regions, and key markets, and leads strategic wholesale operations including sell-in, S&OP, Joint Business Plans, and commercial initiatives.

• Contribute to the wholesale strategic plan by making recommendations to enrich, structure, and further develop it on a regular basis, and drive its execution across each region and category while tracking progress and results.
• Act as a liaison between global functions, regions, and key markets to ensure alignment on strategic priorities and business objectives.
• Lead the sell-in process and calendar, define and recommend changes to optimise sell-in, and drive timely communication with regions and other functions, especially GTM and categories, so all stakeholders receive information on time.
• Lead sales meetings at the Brand Business Summit to ensure regions and markets have the full sell-in toolkit ready, and drive conversations when forecasts from regions or markets are required.
• Act as the main gatekeeper and expert for strategic commercial initiatives such as distribution strategy, trade terms, and service levels, providing guidance to regions, ensuring diligent implementation in line with global governance
• And travelling to key countries or clusters for education and training when relevant.
• Contribute with the Global Wholesale team to set up a solid S&OP process to better steer buying and control inventory and flow.
• Drive the implementation of Joint Business Plans, ensuring format consistency across regions and selected global strategic accounts, including the top 20-25 accounts.
• Prepare wholesale targets for each region and ensure they are sent as early as possible, and review sales forecasts with regions and markets before submission, ensuring alignment with global guidance or proactively flagging risks and opportunities.
• Improve processes and tools for sharing sell-in and sell-out results, including POs and orderbook status at every order placement deadline, after sell-in meetings with strategic accounts, and guidance to regions and account teams to think like retailers and use relevant retail KPIs.
• Act as the commercial contact for Categories on any event with wholesale customers, assisting with event preparation, account communication, and presentations
• And attend customer meetings such as Previews and Prelines and sell-in meetings when relevant to facilitate and support the Sales team in finding growth opportunities.
• Support the VP Global Wholesale in implementing a new business model that grows sell-through and turn and infuses a retail mindset internally, and support the planning, preparation
• And hosting of key meetings for the VP Global Wholesale and Board-level stakeholders with internal and external audiences.

• Extensive experience in Wholesale Sales, Commercial Strategy, Business Planning, Sales Operations, or a related commercial leadership function within a global organisation.
• Strong understanding of wholesale business models, distribution strategies, customer management, and multi-channel commercial environments.
• Proven track record of driving commercial growth through strategic planning, forecasting, Joint Business Planning, and sales performance management.
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to translate market, customer, and sales insights into actionable business decisions.
• Experience working across multiple regions and markets, successfully influencing stakeholders in a complex global matrix organisation.
• Demonstrated success leading commercial excellence, process improvement, and transformation initiatives.
• Extensive leadership experience with a proven ability to collaborate with and influence senior executives and C-level stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Marketing, or a related field.

• Experience in sporting goods, apparel, retail, or consumer goods is ideal.
• Leadership experience at a global level is ideal.
• Advanced qualifications are a plus.

PUMA is a global sports brand creating footwear, apparel, and accessories that inspire athletes and everyday movers. The PUMA Group owns PUMA, Cobra Golf, and stichd, operates in more than 120 countries, and has around 22,000 employees worldwide. PUMA looks for SPEED & SPIRIT in candidates, defined by values that inspire it to be driven in performance, vibrant in sporting legacy, and together in team spirit.