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 Profile

• Degree in marketing, sales, business or automotive industry
• Excellent geographical knowledge for merchant mapping and logistics purposes
• Strategic 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 Attributes

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex ideas and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Business acumen & Commercial Awareness
• Proactive 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 performance
• Time Management
• Analytical and reporting skills
• Decision-Making Skills
• Integrity