Merchandising Manager – Women’s Brands

The John Lewis & Partners Commercial team are looking for a Merchandising Manager working with Brands.

As Merchandising Manager at the John Lewis Partnership, your role is pivotal to leading Merchandising within your Category. You are responsible for translating the Directorate strategy into an effective Category strategy.

This role is critical in driving customer-centric commercial outcomes whilst driving operational efficiency. You are accountable for profit and cashflow through sales, margin and demand plans for your category and working across connected stakeholders to ensure these are robust and deliver against strategy.

• Expected salary up to - £ 68,900.00 - £105,200.00 is the full pay band; however, we are looking for candidates up to £ 82K depending on experience

• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract ​

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home-based upon your personal needs, whilst balancing the needs of the business. The Merchandising team aim for a minimum of  3 days a week in the office

• Location - This role is based at our Pimlico Head Office campus. 

Key responsibilities

In this role, you will be accountable for actively managing an element of the assortment within the overall category you are responsible for, as determined by the needs of the category. You will work closely with the Commercial Planning team to provide commercial rigour in planning and forecasting to maximise profitability and customer satisfaction through driving availability and optimising working capital.

You’ll lead the Merchandising team within your category and be expected to be a role model across the function.  Be a champion of change by embracing new Merchandising tools, processes and systems. As well as leading & energising the team and creating the conditions for all Partners to thrive, making their best contribution to achieve their potential. You’ll leverage your accountabilities and essential skills to drive category performance and contribute to the overall success of John Lewis Partnership.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Proven expertise in retail merchandising, including assortment planning, inventory management, and pricing strategies.

• Experience across a minimum of two retail categories, demonstrating versatility and an understanding of diverse product ranges and market dynamics.

• Advanced proficiency in data analysis, numerical reasoning, and financial analysis (including MS Excel) to forecast demand, inform decisions, and clearly present complex insights to all stakeholders.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills for negotiating with suppliers and collaborating with cross-functional teams on merchandising strategy.

• Demonstrated success in driving commercial outcomes, including sales growth, margin improvement, and inventory optimisation.

• Comprehensive understanding of retail operations, supply chain management, and logistics, including proficiency with inventory management and forecasting systems.

• Commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in retail merchandising.

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Exposure to working within matrix leadership structures, collaborating across multiple teams and functions to achieve common objectives.

• Ability to navigate complex organisational dynamics and leverage diverse perspectives to drive results.

• Proficiency in utilising data analysis tools and techniques to derive actionable insights and inform strategic decision-making and experience in forecasting demand, sales trends, and market dynamics to anticipate future opportunities and risks.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

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