Merchandiser, Technology

About the role

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join as a Merchandiser in our Technology Merchandising team. 

You will be working with one of our biggest categories within John Lewis therefore we are looking for a highly experienced, analytical and commercial Merchandiser, who uses their broad expert knowledge to plan and optimise the best range for customers within the Technology category. Your remit will be to deliver agreed KPIs including; sales, profit, stock, skus, availability, margin and risk management. You will maximise opportunities as they arise and lead the in-season trading to potentialise the outcome for both customers and your category.

You will analyse commercial inputs to develop, with the Buyer, the best range of products supported by effective and comprehensive range planning and pricing architecture to deliver market leading assortments. You will be People Manager of your category team’s Junior Merchandiser and Merchandising Assistants, creating the conditions for them to thrive, and balancing their focus and priorities as required.

You will be expected to manage an assortment of high strategic importance and/or complexity within your category that achieves strong customer satisfaction. You will be expected to roll up and have oversight of other offices within your Category.

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• You will be accountable for accurately planning and forecasting sales, stock, profit and SKUs for the Category Lead and Trade Planning team.

•  You will be accountable for the commercial and customer success of a product range through range planning and agile in-season trading, using analysis and reporting from Product Operations.

• Through your Merchandising Assistants you will manage the flow of stock for your office, controlling inventory levels and open to buy. You are accountable for maximising availability across channels whilst minimising inventory holding costs and other supply chain costs.

• You will work at pace and with agility within a collaborative environment with your Category Lead, Buyer, Head of Merchandising, Supply Chain, Trade Planning, Sourcing, Trading & Product Operations teams, Design and Product Technology. Externally you will hold a strong relationship with your suppliers and Brands.

•  You will be accountable for forecasting assortment Sales, Stock and Margin KPIs, deciding Open To Buy parameters that meet commercial and customer targets. In collaboration with Buying, you will need to make season trading and volume decisions along with the commercial terms and product lifecycle with the suppliers.

•  You may on occasion, be asked to roll up Category wide analysis in support of Head of Buying and Head of Merchandising. 

• You will be People Manager to your team's Merchandising Assistant partner/s. Providing Coaching, development and feedback.

Essential Skills you will need:

Technology Merchandising experience 

● Proven experience in Forecasting & Planning, WSSI management, influencing & stakeholder management.

● Demonstrated expertise in merchandising practices, including assortment planning and stock management.

● Strong Analytical and Numerical Skill.

● Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel or similar analytical tools.

● Strong Communication and Presentation Skills

● Understanding of Retail Operations and Supply Chain Management

● Proactive Approach to Learning and Development

Desirable Skills you may have:

• Advanced in MS Excel & Google Sheets including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and Data Tables

• Tableau adoption

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. 

Attachment: Download Job Attachment