Category Assistant – Ralph Lauren

John Lewis Fashion is seeking a talented and enthusiastic individual with a passion for Fashion and a love of the Ralph Lauren brand to join the commercial team as a dedicated Category Assistant for Ralph Lauren. The successful candidate will work across Mens, Womens and Kids’ Clothing and Accessory categories and collaborate with internal matrix teams. We desire a candidate with strong interpersonal skills who is an effective communicator and influencer. The Category Assistant plays a key role in delivering a premium customer experience while supporting sales growth and profitability across all Ralph Lauren product categories.

This critical role will ensure Ralph Lauren stock is in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price. You will own the stock flow process to maximise sales and availability, managing spend within budget while protecting profitability by reducing overstocks and markdowns. This role is central to maintaining product availability—a key driver of both sales and customer satisfaction.

You will also execute administrative tasks across critical path management, range building, marketing, and trading activities. Working closely with your Category Merchandisers and Buyers, you will take responsibility for daily merchandising activities, ensuring a profitable assortment and the seamless setup and launch of new products, while supporting broader marketing and buying initiatives.

We are looking for someone who can be agile, responding effectively to changing trade priorities, who can work independently and is a confident decision maker.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Expected salary up to - £28,000.00 - 38,900.00​

• Depending on experience, we are looking for candidates up to 33K, 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 Commercial teams aim for a minimum of around 3 days a week in the office

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

Key responsibilities

• Responsible for managing stock levels at a SKU level to maximise sales and availability, working to Open To Buy. Analysing weekly sales performance and taking actions to maintain stock levels in line with Category budgets and strategy 

• Responsible for managing product forecasts to accurately calculate stock requirements, applying logical reasoning & commercial knowledge using a wide variety of Data sets

• Use forecasts & insight to ensure correct channel (online vs Branch) mix of stock utilising the replenishment system and relevant RPAs, maximising availability and profitability. 

• Use data & insight to identify commercial opportunities to contribute to the department strategy. Show confidence in making data-driven 

• decisions. 

• Responsible for availability and ensuring Core lines are never out of stock. Can understand and report on the different availability metrics.

• Support communication between John Lewis and Ralph Lauren to ensure alignment on trading plans and product availability.

• Completion and management of Smartsheets including exporting, OC checks and Continuity Price Checks across all office

• End to end management of product launch including Imagery, Selling Text and ensuring Online standards are kept to a high standard across all offices

• Ownership of all PRL promotional activity and markdowns including NKU across all offices

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Strong numerical and analytical skills 

• Communicating, influencing and negotiating with a wide range of stakeholders

• Time management & prioritisation

• Project and milestone Management

• Experience of working with range plans, critical path and assortment review and marketing nomination processes

• Proactive Approach to Learning and Development

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Experience in a merchandising and buying environment 

• Experience in data analytics 

• Advanced in MS Excel & Google Sheets

• Experience of working in Retail

• Experience of working in an operational team

• Experience of working with automated processes

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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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