Alaïa Worldwide Training Director

About Alaïa

Alaïa is a Parisian couture house defined by sculptural elegance, exacting craftsmanship, and an enduring devotion to the female form. Founded by Azzedine Alaïa, the Maison continues to unite architectural design, exceptional materials, and atelier savoir-faire within a culture that values precision, intimacy, and creative integrity. As an employer, Alaïa offers the rare opportunity to contribute to a house where heritage is not preserved as nostalgia, but advanced through innovation, discipline, and collaboration. Its teams are encouraged to cultivate excellence across design, craftsmanship, retail, communications, and operations, while upholding the discreet, uncompromising spirit that has made Alaïa a singular name in luxury fashion.

Role & Responsibilities

• Define the worldwide training vision, strategy and annual roadmap in line with the Maison’s commercial priorities.
• Create engaging training content covering Maison culture, collections, product knowledge, styling, selling skills, clienteling and Client Experience.
• Translate complex product and brand information into simple, inspiring and actionable tools for retail teams.
• Lead and continuously evolve the Digital Learning platform, driving engagement and adoption across regions.
• Define, codify and continuously elevate Alaïa’s worldwide Client Experience.
• Develop the Maison’s selling ceremony and service standards, covering welcoming and discovery, styling, storytelling, cross-selling, closing and after-sales.
• Partner with Retail teams to ensure consistent boutique execution while adapting training to different client cultures and market realities.
• Build worldwide training programmes to strengthen clienteling capabilities across the retail organization.
• Develop capabilities in client recruitment, relationship building, outreach, appointments, retention, reactivation and VIC development.
• Partner with Client Engagement and Retail teams to translate client strategy and CRM tools into concrete behaviours on the sales floor.
• Own the worldwide product training strategy in collaboration with Merchandising and relevant Brand teams.
• Create collection-launch materials and training programmes that combine product knowledge, craftsmanship, inspiration, styling and commercial opportunities.
• Ensure retail teams understand products and can tell their stories, recommend them and sell them.
• Partner with Retail and regional teams, using performance data and field observation to identify capability gaps and turn them into systematic selling behaviours.
• Drive UPT and cross-selling by embedding a structured approach to recommendations beyond the client’s initial request, including Same / Similar / Better alternatives and complementary products.
• Develop the capabilities and behaviours that make cross-category selling a natural part of Alaïa’s Client Experience, with particular focus on introducing handbags and Leather Goods into client conversations.
• Develop practical tools, rituals and coaching methods so Sales Associates and Managers consistently apply these behaviours on the floor.
• Measure effectiveness through commercial KPIs, including UPT, cross-selling rate, Leather Goods penetration, conversion and average transaction value, and adapt training based on results.
• Build and animate a worldwide community of regional and local trainers and retail champions.
• Support regions in identifying and developing local training relays, ensuring consistent deployment of global programmes while allowing relevant local adaptation.
• Spend time regularly in stores to observe teams, coach in real situations and identify improvement opportunities.
• Define and manage the worldwide training budget and priorities.
• Establish planning, reporting and KPIs, and regularly share progress, impact and recommendations with Commercial and Retail leadership.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior Training, Retail Excellence, Client Experience or Client Development role within luxury fashion, ideally with strong exposure to international retail.
• Exceptional ability to transform brand, product and commercial priorities into simple, inspiring and memorable content.
• Strong understanding of luxury retail economics and KPIs, with the ability to connect training initiatives directly to client and business performance.
• Deep understanding of luxury Client Experience, clienteling and VIC development.
• Highly engaging presence and ability to inspire Sales Associates and senior retail leaders.
• Hands-on, close to stores and comfortable coaching teams directly on the sales floor.
• Strong command of modern learning methodologies, blended learning and digital learning platforms.
• Ability to influence and mobilize regional teams in a highly transversal organization.
• Fluent English required; French or other key international languages are a plus.

Skills

Experience

Significant experience in a senior Training, Retail Excellence, Client Experience or Client Development role within luxury fashion; international retail exposure is preferred.

Culture

Alaïa fosters an intimate, craft-led culture where precision, creativity, and respect for the maison’s couture heritage guide daily work. As an employer, it offers a collaborative environment that values artisanal excellence, thoughtful innovation, and a deep sensitivity to form, material, and timeless elegance.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.