Gibson Certified Vintage Manager

The purpose of the Gibson Certified Vintage Manager, reporting directly to the DTC Global Retail director, is to find, authenticate, prepare and bring-to-market vintage and used Gibson products. They must plan and execute strategies that create business growth objectives in curating vintage and used product offerings. Responsibilities include driving purchasing opportunities via web, social media and in-person events, accurately assessing and selecting instruments worthy of reselling, photographing, describing, merchandising and shipping. As such, this would be a fairly autonomous role contributing to Gibson's DTC Team goals.

The Gibson Certified Vintage Manager should have extensive knowledge of vintage and used Gibson products with the ability to accurately identify, authenticate and appraise. They will ensure product offerings are aligned with market demand, brand strategy, and company's commercial and financial objectives. They will ensure instruments are in top playing condition utilizing available resources at the Gibson Garage(s) and Gibson Repair & Restoration. Familiarity with current online marketplaces (Reverb, eBay, etc.) is required. Ability to travel domestically and/or abroad (passport required) to recover purchased items and manage safe return is required.

The primary geographic scope is the United States, however, some of these products will be sent and displayed for sale at the Gibson Garage in London, UK. This is an exceptional opportunity to make a significant impact on Gibson's growth and success.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Playbook

• Create Certified Vintage program playbook including end to end process, highlighting cross functional partners and departments.

Procurement | Sourcing

• Identify key trade shows and marketplace listing (Reverb, eBay, etc.) to determine purchasing opportunities.

• Guitar purchasing conducted within parameters of program budget. Guitars falling outside budget will be elevated to GLT for review and approval.

• Identify consignment opportunities with Gibson artists and/or commercial partners and align with key stakeholders on fee/rev share structure.

Evaluations | Appraisals

• Conduct authentication process utilizing own knowledge and available internal resources, including repair and restoration and product team.

• Create unique COA inserts in partnership with product and brand teams.

• Create and communicate lifetime warranty in partnership with legal and customer service teams.

Go-To-Market (GTM) Coordination

• Create white glove, industry leading Certified Vintage collections, working hand-in-hand with cross functional partners to ensure a true omni-channel approach.

• Targeted Outreach

• Create promotional calendar highlighting collections on Gibson.com, the Gibson Garage(s) along with Gibson Gazette and PR team.

• Curated assortment to include transactional photography, item set-up, pricing (fair market value) and spec sheet creation.

• Partners with cross functional teams in executing and elevating in-store and online story/product activation.

• Provides product and story-telling training and workshop sessions to leadership and Garage sales associates.

Strategic Planning

• Defines key KPIs to ensure implementation, realization and benchmarking.

• Creates and presents seasonal & annual Certified Vintage business plan that aligns with Gibson's overall business goals and objectives with defined commercial revenue growth.

Assortment Planning & Management

• Collaborates closely with product development and marketing/brand teams to develop compelling Certified Vintage assortments that resonate with our target audience (fans) and drive sales through DTC channels.

• Supports DTC Global Retail Director providing sales forecasts.

Analyzing and Reporting

• Utilize analytics and reporting to track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor business performance, and derive actionable insights to optimize strategies and drive continuous improvement.

• Supports and collaborates with DTC Global Retail Director in providing sales forecasts based on consumer insights, business intelligence, historic performance, and marketing activation plans.

• Prepares and presents impactful merchandise performance reviews.

Working with People & Communication

• Fosters cooperation and teamwork and establishes effective relationships across the organization. Builds wide and effective networks of contacts and relates well to people at all levels

• Builds trust, teamwork, practices and encourages an open, honest and direct communication and promotes constructive feedback

• Writes clearly, succinctly, and correctly in an engaging and expressive manner. Is concise, well-structured, and logical. Structures information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience. Presents with impact

• Expresses information and key points of a topic clearly and concisely

• Listens, consults, and communicates pro-actively

PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY REQUIREMENTS

Required Experience

• Academic Experience: Post-secondary education in Business/Marketing/Merchandising/Music or related area or equivalent experience preferred but not required (Bachelor/master's degree)

• Professional Experience: minimum 3 years of relevant work experience in Certified Vintage/Retail market

• Deep understanding of the vintage market, specifically Gibson guitars and related Gibson products

• Knows how to navigate a matrix organization and demonstrates an understanding of different organizational departments and functions

Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of Gibson Brands' current and historic product portfolio, including vintage, used and boutique stringed instruments

• Must be able to manage multiple projects/tasks simultaneously, and organizes workload to meet timelines

• Experienced/Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook and reporting/sales platforms (d365 & Shopify).

• GTM Process Management; Efficiently manage priorities, time, attention to detail, and strong project management skills.

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about working and winning in a team environment.

• Personable, fun, team oriented and ignites a positive work atmosphere

• Great love for guitars and passion for music, with a deep appreciation for Gibson's brands and products

Nota Bene:

The company's job descriptions are not intended to be a complete detailed account of all expected/anticipated activities. We operate in a fast-moving and competitive global environment and therefore need employees to be flexible.