Head of Speed-to-market - 12 month FTC

London, England, United Kingdom , Fixed-term

THE ALLSAINTS TEAM

At AllSaints we are in the business of feelings - making our customers feel cool and confident. If, like us, you believe in the power of a great outfit, we'd love to talk to you.

We're a global brand made up of a very diverse mix of talented people in a huge variety of roles. Our products are designed in house and made by a small number of suppliers and artisans around the world to sustainable standards.

We are a brand embarking on a very exciting plan and we are seeking new members of the team who want to contribute to this.

THE ROLE

We are looking for a relentless driver to strip time and waste out of our product lifecycle. Right now, our end-to-end buying process takes over 350 days from initial design concept to the moment a garment hits the shop floor. That timeline forces us to commit to big product decisions nearly a year in advance. It ties up working capital, drives heavy markdowns, restricts our ability to react to real-time sales trends, and turns every forecast into a gamble.

Your mission is to rewrite that strategy. You will take a forensic, evidence-led approach across the entire matrix: design, product development, sourcing, buying, merchandising, planning, production, logistics, allocation, and retail. You will map how information actually flows, pinpoint where time and margin are lost, and lead the cross-functional programme to cut the fat.

This is not a process-documentation exercise. It is a high-impact delivery role with an uncompromising lead-time target attached to it.

Map the Current State

• Build end-to-end value stream maps of the concept-to-customer process across core product categories
• Establish an accurate baseline by auditing touch vs. wait times, decision gates, rework loops, sample cycles, and system latency
• Quantify the true financial impact of every delay on cash flow, margin, and lost sales opportunities

Design & Land the Future State

• Develop a target-state critical path with a tiered lead time model tailored to core/NOS, seasonal, and short-cycle reactive products
• Sequence transformation initiatives into a deliverable roadmap with defined owners, milestones, and tracked benefits

Eliminate Operational Waste

• Target and strip out systemic waste across sampling, approvals, WIP inventory, tech pack defects, and information transfer
• Prioritize operational fixes strictly by supply chain constraint rather than ease of implementation

Optimize Functional Handoffs

• Redesign cross-functional interfaces between Design, Sourcing, Buying, Merchandising, and Supply Chain
• Establish clear decision rights, entry/exit criteria, and operating cadences to replace fragmented spreadsheets with a single critical path

Build Live Visibility

• Partner with Tech and Data teams to establish real-time tracking for milestone adherence, stage aging, supplier performance, and bottleneck alerts
• Drive operational decision-making off a single source of live, trusted management data

Embed Governance & Capability

• Establish standard operating rhythms, weekly lead measures, and governance frameworks to protect cycle time gains
• Coach cross-functional teams in Lean methodology to ensure continuous improvement beyond project delivery

Optimise the Supply Base

• Partner with Sourcing and key vendors on strategic capacity planning, fabric platforming, and postponement strategies
• Drive vendor-side lead time reductions through improved order flexibility and material positioning

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR (SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS)

We are open to your background. While a deep understanding of complex product flows is essential, you do not necessarily need to come from fashion retail. If you have driven high-impact operational transformation in automotive, FMCG, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, or another high-SKU, fast-moving environment, we want to hear from you.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Transformation Leadership: A proven track record leading operational excellence, business transformation, or process improvement in complex, high-SKU environments, whether that is apparel, consumer goods, or advanced manufacturing
• Quantifiable Results: Demonstrable history of stripping significant time and cost out of end-to-end value streams, backed by hard financial and operational metrics you can speak to in detail
• Practical Lean Practice: Deep, hands on mastery of Lean tools including value stream mapping, flow and pull, standard work, root cause analysis, and waste elimination. This must be applied and pragmatic, not purely theoretical
• Structured Problem Solving: Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification or an equivalent formal problem solving discipline
• Process & Lifecycle Familiarity: Strong working knowledge of complex supply chain critical paths-from initial concept, sampling, and global sourcing to bulk production, logistics, and retail execution
• Programme Delivery: Credibility leading multi-workstream transformation programs across cross-functional teams, staying on schedule while tracking tangible business benefits
• Cross-Functional Influence: The ability to challenge and align executive leadership while remaining grounded and welcome on the floor with operational teams. You excel at leading through influence without direct line authority
• Data & Systems Fluency: Comfort defining operational metrics, interrogating core systems, and specifying data needs rather than waiting for static reporting
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Financial literacy to build business cases, model working capital and margin impacts, and hold your own in direct commercial discussions with executive leadership
• Applied execution frameworks such as Theory of Constraints or 4DX
• Hands on experience with tiered lead times, demand driven replenishment, or short-cycle reactive models.
• Exposure to PLM, ERP, or critical path systems implementations, including functional design and business requirements mapping
• Familiarity with manufacturing digitization, RFID, or real time tracking systems
• Proven track record building dashboard ecosystems that bridge operational and commercial performance data
• Experience working alongside external management consultants on productivity, restructuring, or supply chain programs
• Direct exposure to international vendor bases, global sourcing markets, or factory floor optimization

ABOUT THE LOCATION

Based in our East London Studios in vibrant Shoreditch with perks and benefits offered from local businesses including discounts on food, shopping and health & beauty. Studio Location . Approximately a 10 minute walk from Liverpool Street Station and a 5 minute walk from Shoreditch High Street.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

The Customer is the Boss We work as one proud team to get the best for our customers

One Team We are joined up and encourage others to share their ideas

We Do What We Say We Will We know our goals, and we work with clear outcomes in mind

We Are Responsible We are self aware, understand the impact we have on others and are positive about the future

BENEFITS

• A generous wardrobe allowance so that you can wear our beautiful clothes to work each day
• We are a disability committed certified employer
• Employee discount for you to spend with family and friends
• 25 days holiday increasing to 28 days after 2 years continuous service
• Bank holidays, birthdays and volunteering days off
• Access to dental cash plan & free virtual GP appointments through Aviva
• UNUM employee assistance helpline
• Life assurance cover
• Access to discounted gym membership and corporate discounts
• Hybrid working in our historic East London studios, working hours are 9-5.30pm
• Free, confidential, wellbeing and lifestyle support with Retail Trust
• Enhanced family leave benefits (neonatal, fertility, maternity, paternity, adaption, menopause)
• Health days for you to use either for physical or mental wellness
• Dedicated mental health support from our mental health first aiders
• Eye care vouchers, season ticket loans and much more!

Our aim is to develop truly diverse teams and create an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and able to give of their best whilst contributing to the success of our brand.

We recognise the importance and strength of diversity and commit to providing equal opportunities to everyone in our employment and recruitment processes. We safeguard against any form of discrimination irrespective of gender, gender reassignment, marital status, race, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status or age.

Even if you feel you don't tick all the boxes, we'd still very much like to hear from you. We want you to know that finding people who have a passion for our brand and are open to learning is incredibly important to us.

If you need any support or adjustments during your application, please get in touch with us and we are happy to help.