Roles & Responsibilities:Strategic Leadership:Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for the parts department, aligning with company goals and market trends.Provide guidance and mentorship to the parts team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Merchant Acquisition and Management:Formulate strategic plans for aggressive merchant acquisition, identifying target markets and opportunities for expansion.Lead negotiations with key spare parts merchants to secure favorable terms and agreements, ensuring competitive pricing and inventory availability.Implement weekly visits to merchants to ensure updated pricing, inventory availability, and resolve operational challenges.Oversee the mapping and categorization of spare parts merchants, optimizing the diversity and quality of offerings on the platform.Drive pricing strategies and negotiations with merchants, leveraging market insights and competitive analysis to optimize margins and profitability.Operational Oversight:Monitor merchant adherence to operational procedures for timely order dispatch and collaborate with logistics for efficient order fulfillment.Implement solutions to resolve operational challenges and optimize the performance of the automotive e-commerce platform.Develop and implement processes for swift resolution of product returns, minimizing returns through quality control measures.Manage merchant accounts, including payments, invoice reconciliation, and credit limit negotiations.Platform Liquidity Management:Develop and implement initiatives to maintain platform liquidity, balancing inventory levels and demand dynamics.Establish processes for proactive inventory management, including forecasting, replenishment, and clearance strategies.Outsourcing Optimization:Develop a strategic outsourcing framework to efficiently source spare parts from a diverse network of merchants, maximizing cost-effectiveness and quality standards.Establish streamlined processes for outsourcing coordination, including vendor selection, contract management, and performance monitoring.Data Analysis and Market Insights:Identify Popular Parts: Analyze part searches and customer purchase patterns to determine high-demand parts, guiding prioritized acquisition of merchants offering these sought-after parts.Forecast Demand: Utilize historical sales data and market trends to forecast future demand for various parts, facilitating proactive inventory management for sufficient stock availability.Monitor Merchant Performance: Evaluate individual merchant performance, including sales volume, customer satisfaction ratings, and adherence to pricing and inventory policies, to identify top-performing merchants and address underperforming ones.Identify Market Trends: Monitor market trends and consumption patterns to anticipate emerging trends, allowing adjustments to the platform's offerings such as sourcing new parts or expanding into different market segments.Optimize Pricing Strategies: Utilize data analysis to understand pricing dynamics, including competitor pricing and customer willingness to pay, enabling the development of pricing strategies that maximize profitability while remaining competitive.Collaboration and Coordination:Foster collaboration and communication across departments, ensuring alignment of objectives and seamless execution of initiatives.Liaise with customer service, telesales, and logistics teams to streamline order fulfillment processes and address customer inquiries and concerns.Reporting and Documentation:Develop comprehensive reporting mechanisms to track departmental performance metrics, including sales, inventory turnover, and customer satisfaction.Prepare and present regular reports to senior management, highlighting key insights, trends, and actionable recommendations.Team Development and Capacity Building:Invest in the professional development of team members, providing coaching, training, and performance feedback to foster continuous learning and skill enhancement.Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation, recognizing and rewarding excellence and initiative within the team.Strategic Networking:Actively engage with industry stakeholders, influencers, and peers to build a robust network, cultivating strategic partnerships with industry leaders and decision-makers.Articulate the company's value proposition clearly and persuasively, tailoring communication to diverse audiences.Value Proposition Pitching:Excel in pitching the organization's value proposition, customizing pitches to address specific pain points and opportunities, and engaging decision-makers in meaningful discussions.Demonstrate strategic thinking, aligning networking efforts with broader business goals to identify growth opportunities and proactively expand the organization's reach and influence.Experience ProfileDegree in marketing, sales, business or automotive industryExcellent geographical knowledge for merchant mapping and logistics purposesStrategic Leadership: Proven track record in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies for parts departments, aligning with company goals and market trends.Business Development: Demonstrated ability in formulating strategic plans for aggressive business development, including merchant acquisition and identifying growth opportunities.Operational Excellence: Experience in monitoring merchant adherence to operational procedures for timely order dispatch, collaborating with logistics for efficient order fulfillment, and ensuring seamless operations.Market Analysis: Proficiency in conducting in-depth market analysis and research to identify emerging trends, competitive threats, and growth opportunities within the automotive spare parts industry.Inventory Management: Experience in managing part availability, pricing competitiveness, and return rates to optimize inventory management and pricing strategies.Data Analysis: Proficient in data analysis techniques to derive insights for decision-making, including analyzing part searches, market trends, and consumption patterns.Customer Focus: Strong customer orientation with a focus on maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction regarding part availability, pricing, and overall service quality.Team Leadership: Demonstrated leadership qualities with the ability to mentor and develop team members, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Additional Advantages:Automotive Industry Understanding: While not a necessity, having some level of understanding of the automotive industry can be advantageous, particularly in terms of familiarity with industry dynamics, terminology, and trends.Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and effectively prioritize tasks to meet deadlines and business objectives.Personal AttributesExcellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex ideas and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders.Business acumen & Commercial AwarenessProactive approach to problem-solving and decision-making.Excellent client management skills i.e. managing experiences and expectations for both internal and external clients.Strong written and verbal communication skills.High Emotional Intelligence and enthusiasm needed to motivate a team to performanceTime ManagementAnalytical and reporting skillsDecision-Making SkillsIntegrity
