The posting
At Mons Royale, we believe action and adventure sports can be a force for good, but most of the gear made for these sports is trashing the planet. That’s why we’re on a mission to shift riders from synthetics to natural fibres, designing high-performance merino apparel that doesn’t mess up the places we love to play.
Based at our brand home in Wānaka, New Zealand, we are looking for an exceptional Director of DTC to lead the next phase of our direct-to-consumer business across E-commerce, Retail and Merchandise. This is an opportunity to take ownership of one of the most important growth engines in the business.
Mons Royale has a global footprint across Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia, with Asia as an emerging market. We serve our customers through an omnichannel experience spanning more than 500 wholesale partner doors, multiple regional e-commerce sites and eight brand stores, including our brand epicentres in Wānaka, Whistler and Innsbruck.
This is a role for a commercial leader who thinks customer first, product second, channel third. Reporting to the CEO and as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will work closely with Product, Marketing, Finance, Wholesale Sales and our regional teams to connect the customer, product and commercial strategy across the business.
You’ll have genuine influence over how the company grows, and the opportunity to shape how customers experience Mons Royale around the world.
And you’ll do it from Wānaka, surrounded by the mountains, trails and community that inspired the brand in the first place.
Role Purpose
As Director of DTC, you will own the strategy, growth and commercial performance of Mons Royale’s global direct-to-consumer business.
You’ll lead E-commerce, Retail and Merchandise, connecting customer insight, product, inventory and channel performance to ensure we have the right product, in the right place, at the right time. You’ll own the customer experience and commercial performance while building the team and operating model required for our next stage of growth.
You’ll inherit strong foundations across E-commerce and Retail, while having the mandate to build our Merchandise capability and create the global DTC operating model needed for the next stage of Mons Royale.
Your role is to create a connected DTC ecosystem where digital and physical retail work together, merchandise decisions reflect customer demand, and insights from our owned channels influence how Mons Royale develops product and grows globally.
What you'll do
- Own the global DTC strategy across E-commerce, Retail and Merchandise, with accountability for revenue, margin, profitability, inventory productivity and customer experience.
- Build, lead and develop a high-performing global DTC team, creating clear accountability, strong leadership capability and the structure required to scale.
- Build an integrated global trading rhythm across digital and retail, turning customer, product and commercial data into clear actions.
- Lead the continued growth of our global e-commerce business, driving conversion, retention, digital merchandising, customer experience and profitable growth.
- Lead our global retail strategy, building the capability and operating model to successfully scale our network of wholly owned and licensed stores.
- Ensure new locations deliver strong commercial performance and a distinctive Mons Royale brand experience.
- Build and lead our global Merchandise capability, connecting range, demand, planning and inventory across all DTC channels.
- Own the DTC merchandise and inventory strategy across forecasting, open-to-buy, allocation, replenishment, trading, markdown and exit.
- Improve inventory productivity, availability and stock turn while balancing growth, margin and customer experience.
- Put the customer at the centre of DTC decision-making, building a deeper understanding of who they are, what they buy, why they buy and how their behaviour differs across markets and channels.
- Use DTC customer and trading insight to influence future product, range and investment decisions.
- Partner closely with Product to connect customer demand and product performance into future ranges and franchises.
- Partner with Marketing to connect brand, campaigns, acquisition and retention with commercial outcomes.
- Work alongside Wholesale Sales to create a coherent global marketplace strategy and maximise the opportunity across channels.
- Build scalable systems, processes and teams that allow Mons Royale to grow without losing speed, accountability or connection to the customer.
- Play a key role on the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to the strategy and performance of Mons Royale beyond DTC.
Requirements
- A genuine connection to what we stand for, pushing boundaries to drive change in an industry dominated by plastics.
- Senior leadership of a multichannel DTC business across e-commerce, retail and merchandise planning, in apparel, outdoor or a premium consumer brand.
- Experience helping scale a brand or DTC business, rather than managing a mature network, and comfortable moving between strategy and detail.
- Commercial and P&L ownership with a track record of growing revenue and margin, not just the top line.
- Deep expertise in buying, merchandising and/or merchandise planning
- Ability to collaborate with and influence across the business, understanding and navigating the inherent tensions that exist.
- Experience leading and growing teams across multiple markets and time zones,
Benefits
Opportunity for Growth
Mons Royale is a fast-growing brand in the action and adventure sports space with lots of opportunities for career development, within and outside NZ.
Mountain town lifestyle and flexibility
We are based in mountain towns because we value time spent in the mountains and want to enable and encourage our team to achieve a work/life balance. While we do work hard and put in the hours, we also believe in the value of having a life outside of the workplace. This role will be based in our brand home, Wanaka.
We value people and our team
Company culture is important to us. We're often together in the mountains or catching up for a happy-hour bike ride. With offices in Squamish, Innsbruck and our hometown of Wanaka, Mons is comprised of a globally diverse workforce. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds and therefore all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment.
Embracing the entrepreneurial spirit
Being a part of a fast-growing brand means that there’s never a dull moment and that you’ll likely be involved in a lot of opportunities that may fall outside of your typical job description.
Competitive Salary and Discounts to fuel your passion
We offer competitive remuneration, discounted Mons Royale product and access to discounts across the outdoor industry.
