Global Talent Quest

20th July, 2015

As the Cotton On Group sets its sights on continuing its rapid expansion, the retailer is embarking on an international hunt to fill 236 newly created roles.

Spread across a variety of functions, including buying, distribution, finance, marketing, retail management and People and Culture, the roles will support the Group’s global growth strategy, which includes opening another 570 stores within the next three years.

Group Recruitment Manager, Jo Barr, says the recruitment push is just the first stage of a three year plan by the Group to add 500 new roles to its global team.

“The fact that we are adding such a considerable number of people to our workforce over the next few years makes our business a unique proposition in the current retail environment,” Ms Barr says.

“It’s a strong indication of our continued success and represents a great opportunity for talented retail professionals to join an international business that is growing on a global scale.”

Over 70 per cent of the 236 new positions are based at the Group’s global headquarters in Geelong. It will take the head office team to over 1000, cementing the business’ position as one of the leading employees in the region.

Ten of these are in the Group’s COG Uni team – the retailer’s $30million education platform – to help drive the program’s expansion globally and, in particular, support the introduction of the new Retail Academy as part of its offering.

The Academy, designed specifically to educate and empower the Group’s retail work force, will be launched in August with the Typo’s Australian team before being rolled out across all brands in the Group.  The additional team members will assist with the development and implementation of the program, including content tailored specifically for each brand, with the aim of delivering a world class platform that attracts and retains top retail talent.

Barr says the opportunity for professional development, which is not typically seen in the retail space, is a key component in the Group positioning itself as a work place of choice for prospective candidates.

“We’re a global business that is very focused on building on our unique culture and offering our people real opportunities to grow themselves, their roles and the Group more broadly,” Barr says.

“This means we look for individuals who are career hungry, people who we believe will help drive our culture and play their part in the success of our operations around the world.”

Barr says around one half of the positions have already been filled as a result of internal promotions and external head hunting, but that a large number of exciting positions remain available.

To learn more about the Group’s current job opportunities, click here.