Online Category Manager – On Demand Grocery/Specialist Shops

About the role

Waitrose & Partners prides itself on being different. Our intention is to combine the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist food shop. Add this to our unswerving dedication to our customers and the highest respect for our suppliers (the provenance and traceability of our food is vital) and, of course, the environment, and you can start to see we’re a bit more than ‘just’ a supermarket.
We have an exciting opportunity to join Waitrose as an Online Category Manager in our On Demand Grocery/Specialist Shop team, reporting into the Online Trading Lead.
We know flexible working is important to you, and it is important to us too. 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.

• Salary -  £59,000.00 - £92,500.00 

• Expected Salary - £59,000- £75,000

• 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 Online Trading Team aims for a minimum of 1 day a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. 

• Location - This role is a hybrid role home location is Bracknell.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you will lead and develop your team of Online Merchandisers working across multiple On Demand Grocery (ODG) partners, Category Planning Groups and Specialist Shops. You will influence stakeholders to deliver the commercial performance of your areas via the optimisation of on-site customer journeys for maximum financial return and improved customer satisfaction. You will be a commercially astute and digitally aware individual with awareness of levers to drive sales and profit performance for your areas, always putting the customer first and exploiting opportunities. 

You will build collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the ODG/Cellar matrix team, Commercial and Customer teams to ensure end-to-end online customer journeys are considered in plans. You’ll empower your team to provide recommendations using site data & analysis and external benchmarks to inform assortments, trade planning, campaigns/events or propositions for your area. Own and deliver a clear promotional/trade plan by proposition which will involve working closely with the wider Online Trading team, Category Proposition Groups (CPGs) and Suppliers.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Ownership of sales/margin targets - understanding how to influence key online metrics

• Proven ability to influence across functional boundaries

• Proven leadership capabilities in complex environments

• Retail and/or Commercial experience

• Line management and people development

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Minimum 2 year Trading experience

• Knowledge of Online & On Demand Grocery markets       

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The Partnership

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 also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

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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