Recruitment Background

GU, one of the Fast Retailing Group’s flagship brands, aims to become a true global brand by promoting its brand message, “YOUR FREEDOM: The freedom to reinvent yourself,” creating hit products that capture major trends, preventing stockouts of best-selling items, and delivering products and services that exceed customer expectations.
GU still faces many challenges on its path to becoming a true global brand.We are seeking a Production Merchandiser who can join us in advancing GU’s unique global challenge—enabling customers to enjoy fashion to the fullest with a minimal number of SKUs and affordable prices—through transformations in every aspect of the apparel business. These transformations include building a stronger management team through the recruitment and development of a diverse workforce; enhancing the quality of products and styling; creating store environments that make shopping easier for customers; improving the accuracy of quantity and sales forecasts; and establishing a flexible system for additional production.

Department Overview

The Global Merchandising Division/Production Department, to which you will be assigned, focuses on product production planning and quality control, and is responsible for bringing product concepts to life and optimizing the efficiency of the entire supply chain related to production. By leveraging strong partnerships with sewing factories and fabric mills and exercising comprehensive control over the entire process—from product development through manufacturing to shipping—we consistently achieve the highest standards of QCD (Quality, Cost, and Delivery).Most recently, to support our global business expansion and meet the diversifying needs of our customers, we have been working to build a system that enables stable and flexible production while ensuring sustainability. We are also advancing initiatives to source raw materials for clothing—such as cotton, down, and flax—from designated farms.

Job Description

As the central hub of the entire supply chain, you will be involved from the planning stage of garment production and will be responsible for formulating and executing strategies to achieve optimal QCD (Quality, Cost, and Delivery).
By connecting the MD department at our global headquarters with designers and production offices in various countries, you will drive our business growth from a product development perspective. Examples of job responsibilities are as follows.

• Work with MD staff and R&D designers to develop products with optimal quality, price, and delivery times
• Select the most suitable sewing factories to bring product ideas to life and provide end-to-end project management through to the completion of production
• Identify business growth opportunities based on material and product trends obtained from fabric mills and garment factories, as well as customer needs, and incorporate these into product development.
• Develop initiatives that enable both our group and our partner factories to grow, and strengthen our partnerships

*Assignments upon joining will be determined flexibly based on your skills and experience at the time of hire.
*Job responsibilities may change within the scope of duties related to each department at headquarters due to department transfers or organizational changes.

Career Path

• After deepening your understanding of our products and on-site operations through practical training at domestic stores, you will acquire knowledge of the Production Department’s operations and product and material development at our global headquarters.We expect you to be assigned to an overseas production office approximately 1–2 years after joining the company, where you will play an active role on the global stage. In the medium to long term, you will be expected to work closely with departments involved in manufacturing, take the lead in resolving challenges related to product development processes in various countries, and spearhead product transformation to drive further business growth.
• Depending on your skills and career aspirations, we offer abundant opportunities for career advancement—not only to managerial positions within our department or as heads of overseas production offices, but also to roles in related departments (Merchandising, R&D, and Marketing) or as country business leaders.

Required Experience, Skills, and Abilities:

*No prior experience in the apparel industry or production management is required upon joining.*

• Business-level English proficiency (equivalent to a TOEIC score of 700)
• Experience proactively leading projects by engaging internal and external stakeholders
• Interest in fashion accessories such as clothing, shoes, and bags

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience in international sales or working abroad
• Experience in any of the following roles at a general or textile trading company or apparel company:

—OEM/ODM sales, production management, merchandising (MD), buying, or product planning

Company Name

GU Co., Ltd.

Employment Type

Full-time Employee (Permanent, with a 3-month probationary period)

Annual Salary

• Annual Salary Range: 6–12 million yen (Monthly Salary: 390,000–650,000 yen)
• Allowances: Commuting allowance, overtime pay, etc. (*All subject to company regulations)
• Bonuses: Semi-annual bonuses twice a year, year-end bonus (eligibility and amount determined based on company performance and performance evaluations)
• Promotions twice a year (determined based on performance evaluations)

*Salary will be determined based on company regulations, taking into account your previous annual income and experience, and is not limited to the figures listed above.

Working Hours

Flexible work hours or managerial/supervisory position

• Flexible work schedule

Standard daily working hours: 8 hours; Break: 1 hour
Core hours: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flexible hours…6:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Overtime may be required

• Supervisors

Based on the working hours of the employee’s department; left to the employee’s discretion

Holidays and Leave

Two days off per week (Saturdays and Sundays; national holidays are considered workdays) Annual paid leave, special leave and bereavement leave, childcare and family care leave systems, etc.
*In addition to paid leave, special leave is granted in the first and second halves of the fiscal year (the number of days granted varies depending on employment status and the company to which the employee belongs)

Insurance Coverage

Social insurance (Health Insurance, Employees’ Pension Insurance, Employment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance)

Employee Benefits

Employee stock ownership plan, mutual aid association, partner welfare programs, employee discount program, cafeteria, dedicated shuttle bus (for commuting to the Ariake office), defined contribution pension plan (full-time employees only)

Other

• Our company actively recruits mid-career professionals across various Group companies (Fast Retailing, UNIQLO, GU, etc.). We would appreciate it if you could review the information below and consider applying.
• Within the Fast Retailing Group, you may apply to multiple companies simultaneously. However, please note that even if the selection process proceeds with multiple companies, you can only advance to the final selection stage for one position at a time.
• Based on your submitted resume and interview performance, we may suggest other companies or positions within the Fast Retailing Group.
• Secondhand Smoke Policy: Smoking is prohibited on the premises and indoors; we do not have designated smoking rooms. (Smoking is prohibited during working hours, including break times.)

Ariake Headquarters: 1-6-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, UNIQLO CITY
*While you will be based in Japan, this position is for candidates who are prepared to be assigned to overseas locations (such as China (Shanghai), Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh). The location will be determined by the company.