Director, Gifting Retail and Uniforms - LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games

About the role

The Director of Olympic and Paralympic – Gifting, Retail and Uniforms reports to the [insert position] and will direct efforts for the achievement of On Location’s strategic business goals as it relates to gifting that adds value to a Hospitality product and guest experience, outfitting the thousands of workforce required for the successful delivery, plus the retail activations which will be embedded into the wider Hospitality experience.

Responsibilities

• Management and Implementation of gifting, uniform and retail strategy within the contractual parameters of On Location’s Official Hospitality agreement.
• Demonstrate agility and flexibility to evolve strategies, departmental milestones and or business partnerships to cater to the evolving business needs and the successful integration of gifting, uniforms and retail as part of the guest experience.
• Exploration and Implementation of innovative distribution strategies of both Gifting and Uniforms, that will increase the value proposition, reduce the operational costs, streamline processes, integrate specialist contractors and most importantly offer a seamless experience to guests and workforce.
• Management of Budgets and accounting related to Gifting, Retail and Uniforms including vendor set up and payments.
• Create and management of departmental timelines and milestones for the successful implementation and delivery of the strategy as part of the companywide projects and milestones.
• Integration of department into the wider company structure to successfully identify and deliver against business/project objectives and deliverables within the allocated budgets.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with - Internal stakeholders, including Event Production, Program Management, Platinum Program Management, Art and Design, Workforce Operations.
• Understand and provide solutions to fulfill the business requirements with regards to gifting, retail and uniform within the budgets outlined.
• Ensure contractual obligations are met, opportunities are maximized, and approvals are granted with regards to the use of the event brand/IP.
• Manage vendors to ensure timelines are met and costs are on or below budget.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Team, integrating storytelling related to gifts into overall Marketing plan to build awareness of the gift as an inclusion into the hospitality package and use the investment in the gifts to add value to the overall proposition.
• Establish and management of a team to successfully deliver the gifting, retail and uniforms as part of the wider operational delivery.
• Collaborate with contracted suppliers ensuring implementation and delivery of contracted obligations, adherence to brand and retail guidelines, sustainability objectives, approval process and compliance with partner rights if applicable.
• Transitioning the team from planning into operations at Games Time, support on the operational delivery of the gifting, retail and uniforms ensuring the adherence to contracts, budgets and the seamless integration into the wider hospitality experience.
• Keep appropriate executives and functional area leads informed of progress throughout the strategy, ideation, procurement, and delivery process as needed.
• Post event reconciliation of all products, finalize invoices, enact close out procedures of the warehouse, manage demobilization of any excess products and contribute to any reporting including but not limited to key learnings with recommendations and improvements for future events.

  Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Retail Management, Marketing, Merchandising, Brand or Hospitality Management or a related field, or equivalent experience required.
  • 10 + years of professional experience, including at least 3–5 years in leadership or management roles.
  • Prior experience within global events or hospitality.
  • Senior management experience in project management, brand management, e-commerce, or equivalent that would benefit the successful delivery of the scope outlined above.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to manage relationships with staff, stakeholders, and community partners.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work cross functionally.
  • Strong problem-solving abilities and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
  • Ability to lead large teams, develop staff, and manage performance.
  • Extensive experience and use of Microsoft, Teams, AirTable and Slack, plus the ability to adopt and utilize new technologies and tools required for streamlining business and operational efficiencies.
  • Excellent attention to detail.