Head of Merchandising – Home

We are looking for a Head of Merchandising to lead our Home Directorate at the John Lewis Partnership. This pivotal role involves leading the Merchandising function and translating the business strategy into effective Directorate and Category Strategies, working closely with the Director of Merchandising.

You will be responsible for the Home category, which includes both Big Brands and Own Brands. Apply today for this rare and exciting opportunity.

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Salary - £120,000.00 - £181,000.00​

Contract type - This position is a Permanent position

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 team work 3 days a week in the office to connect and attend key meetings. 

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

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Please note we are holding in-person interviews for this role on 26th and 30th January only at our London office.

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We are expecting high interest in this role, so apply today.

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Key responsibilities

This role is critical in driving customer-centric commercial outcomes whilst driving operational efficiency. You have the accountability for profit and cashflow through sales, margin and demand plans within the Buying & Merchandising professions and support budgets across connected stakeholders to ensure these are robust and deliver against strategy.

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.

Essential skills you’ll need: 

• Significant experience in merchandising: Proven track record of success in roles involving merchandising strategy development, inventory management, and supplier relationship management within the retail industry, with Own Brand and Branded experience.

• Experience in a leadership role: Demonstrated experience in leading and developing teams, with a track record of driving performance, fostering collaboration, and achieving business objectives.

• Retail industry knowledge: In-depth understanding of retail industry dynamics, market trends, and competitive landscape, enabling proactive adaptation to market changes and identification of emerging opportunities.

Desirable Skills you could have:

• Strong analytical skills: Proficiency in data analysis and interpretation, with the ability to derive actionable insights from sales data, market trends, and customer behaviour to inform merchandising strategies.

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills: Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, coupled with strong negotiation abilities to build and maintain relationships with suppliers and cross-functional teams.

• Financial acumen: Sound understanding of financial metrics and profitability drivers, with experience in margin analysis, cost management, and budgeting to drive sustainable business growth.

• Proficiency in merchandising software and analytical tools: Familiarity with merchandising software, inventory management systems, and analytical tools to streamline processes and enhance decision-making capabilities in a digital retail environment.

• Proven experience in strategic stock planning: Track record of success in strategic stock planning within a large retail environment, including forecasting demand, optimising inventory levels, and minimising wastage while ensuring product availability and cost control.

• Experience in pricing strategy and promotional activity: Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing pricing strategies and promotional activities to drive sales and profitability in a retail setting, including an understanding of competitive pricing dynamics and margin optimisation.
   

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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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