Associate Director, Business Planning/ Strategic Project Management

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Business Management (Product & Business Strategy) 
- Strategic Planning & Translation: Translate COO strategic priorities into structured, actionable plans by defining direction, key milestones, timelines, and expected outcomes.
- Project Feasibility & Resource Assessment: Evaluate project feasibility by assessing resource availability, team capacity, and organizational readiness.
- Decision Support to COO to ensure projects align with business strategy and priorities: Partner closely with the COO to provide insights, structure proposals, and support informed strategic decision-making, including defining success criteria. Ensure alignment with timelines, priorities, and quality standards.
 
PMO / Project Governance by collaborating with Project Management Team (COO's Office)
- Governance Framework & Standards, establish project management methodologies, standards, and frameworks Define and standardize project structures, goals, roles, resource allocation, cost control, and ways of working across projects. 
- PMO System & Continuous Improvement: Develop and implement standard tools, templates, and governance processes to continuously enhance planning and execution frameworks.
- Monitor project portfolio progress at an overall level: Identify and escalate critical risks or issues.
- Project Prioritization & Portfolio Management: Maintain a holistic view of all COO initiatives, recommend prioritization based on business needs and constraints, and support resource allocation.
- Reporting & Performance Insights: Provide consolidated reporting on progress, risks, and resource gaps and highlight key issues and recommend corrective actions.
- Leadership & Stakeholder Management: Act as a key partner to COO. Drive strategic initiatives and cross-functional alignment on goals, expectations, and deliverables to meet the deadline. Support COO communication and drive key decision among multiple stakeholders. Organize regular review meetings with COO and leadership team Develop PMO team capability.

Requirements

-    Bachelor’s Degree or above in Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, or related disciplines.
-    Minimum 10-15 years of relevant experience from Retail/ Fashion & Apparel industry, including Strategic planning / business planning / consulting, Project, program, or portfolio management (PMO environment).
-    Deep understanding of end-to-end supply chain and business planning cycle, from product planning, demand forecasting, and sourcing, through to production, distribution, and final sell-out.
-    Proven ability to integrate business strategy with supply chain planning and execution, ensuring effective alignment across planning, operations, and commercial teams.
-    Proven experience in leading cross-functional or enterprise-wide initiatives.
-    Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders, including executive leadership (e.g. COO level).
-    Strong experience in driving cross-functional alignment and collaboration.
-    Demonstrated leadership capability in managing teams, leading change, and driving results.
-    Strategic thinking with strong execution mindset.
-    Ability to operate effectively in complex, fast-paced, and ambiguous environments.
-    High level of ownership, accountability, and resilience.
-    Excellent in written and spoken English and Chinese (include Mandarin).