Department Manager, Womenswear — South Coast Plaza

A contemporary luxury womenswear brand

The opportunity

Today we are bringing to market a Department Manager role, womenswear, with a contemporary luxury brand at its South Coast Plaza flagship. This is the newer register of luxury — ready-to-wear with a point of view, designed to be worn on a Tuesday rather than kept for an occasion, and priced for a woman who buys often rather than once a season. South Coast Plaza is where the brand meets Orange County: one of the highest-grossing retail destinations in America, with a clientele that is affluent, loyal, and far less transient than the coastal flagships.

This is a floor-leading job, not a back-office one. You own the womenswear department inside the flagship: the team on it, the numbers it carries, how the collection is presented, and the clients who come back for it season after season. Contemporary luxury moves faster than heritage — drops land more often, the customer is younger and more style-led, and she expects her advisor to have an opinion. Orange County also buys on repeat: the same names return, they expect to be recognised, and a book built here lasts years rather than a season. The brand asked us for a manager who is still a seller — someone who runs a fitting room as well as a schedule, who can style a full look rather than ring up a piece, and who develops the advisors under them rather than simply rostering them. Four or more years in luxury or contemporary ready-to-wear, at least two of them leading a team or a department.

What you will be responsible for

• Own the womenswear department's sales performance — daily, weekly, and against the seasonal plan
• Lead, coach, and schedule the department's advisors, setting the service standard on the floor
• Sell. Hold your own client book and show the team what the brand standard looks like by doing it
• Style clients properly — full looks, cross-category, and the honest advice that earns a return visit
• Build long-term client relationships across Orange County: appointments, pre-season previews, drop launches, and in-store events
• Partner with visual merchandising on collection presentation, and with buying and merchandising on stock, sizing, and replenishment
• Report on department performance and act on it — you can read a sell-through and say what you will do about it

What we are looking for

• Four or more years in luxury or contemporary ready-to-wear, with at least two leading a team, department, or floor
• A personal client book and the clienteling instinct to build one that carries across seasons
• Real styling ability — fit, fabric, silhouette, and the confidence to advise a client honestly
• A genuine feel for contemporary fashion: you know what is landing this season and why
• Comfortable coaching advisors through a difficult conversation as well as a good week
• Available for the retail calendar — weekends, holiday, and the seasonal peaks South Coast Plaza runs on
• Based in Orange County or willing to be

What the opportunity offers

• $65,000–$75,000 base salary, plus performance bonus
• Clothing allowance — the brand wants you wearing the floor — plus a generous company discount
• Full health insurance
• A department of your own inside a flagship at one of the highest-grossing luxury destinations in the country, with a loyal year-round clientele
• You talk to us, not a portal. We meet you, we interview you, and when it fits we introduce you to the brand ourselves, confidentially