General Merchandise Manager
UK Marketing
Job description
Job Type
Buying & Merchandising Product Supply
Location
Bracknell Campus
Partnership Level
5
Closing Date
11/12/2024
Vacancy Type
Permanent
Salary
£65,000.00 - £98,000.00 Annual
Salary Frequency
Annual
Hours of Work
35
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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 it is possible to do so. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
Our Purpose
Working in Partnership for a happier world – our shared Purpose that guides us in everything we do and inspires 3 important principles; happier people, happier business, happier world. The John Lewis Partnership is a truly unique business, one that seeks to make a positive difference to the lives of everyone.
At a glance
This is a hybrid role, therefore your time will be split between working from home and the Bracknell Head Office. Ideally, minimum 3 days a week in our Bracknell Head Office.
Expected Salary - £65,000.00 - £98,000.00 per annum. PCS allowance £240 per month.
Contract type - Permanent
Level - 5
Location : This role is based at our Bracknell Head office.
About the role
This is an exciting role in our Commercial Leadership team. As a member of the Commercial Leadership team, you will drive the General Merchandise strategy and commercial performance for Waitrose. You and your team will build a range and promotional plan to meet the target Grocery mission in branch and online, utilising the John Lewis brand where applicable to that mission. You will work in collaboration with John Lewis when joint sourcing delivers benefits to the partnership. You will provide representation for the Waitrose brand within John Lewis working groups and the Commercial Leadership team. You will engage senior stakeholders across both brands to actively support Waitrose commercial objectives.
You will be a highly experienced, commercial, customer focused and strategic individual with experience of Buying and/or building assortments and promotional strategies to meet a customer need. You will have had experience of developing a customer proposition. You will have experience of managing teams and influencing internal and external stakeholders.
Some of your key responsibilities will include:
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You will lead and develop your Account Management team, who will have category responsibility and commercial accountability, to deliver a commercially balanced product assortment. Your aim is to drive customer satisfaction and maximise sales, stock and profit contribution through effective use of trading levers and management of risk.
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You will provide strategic direction for the team and provide training, coaching, development and mentoring. You will also act as a point of escalation for any problems that may arise.
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You are responsible for developing the strategic direction of General Merchandise in Waitrose, using your market knowledge and business & customer insight, in line with the Head of Category Proposition Group’s category vision.
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You will be a key interface with relevant stakeholders within Waitrose working groups including (but not limited to) Product supply, Trade Planning, Space & Range and will need to influence to ensure General Merchandise and wider partnership objectives are met.
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You will support the Head of Category Proposition Group with key work streams and deputise where necessary to enable teams to deliver their category plans.
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You will manage commercial performance of General Merchandise for Waitrose across all trading channels.
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Appropriate assessing and reporting on Commercial performance and delivery of KPIs to line manager and other stakeholders: internal up and down communication.
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Working with dotted lines and Shared KPIs to ensure Category Pod Team (Technical, Space and Value and Supply Chain) delivers its Indirect Shared KPIs.
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Consistently demonstrating and developing an in-depth knowledge of GM categories, the target customer and the market dynamics, translating this knowledge into business opportunities.
Essential skills you’ll need:
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Commercial experience at Buyer equivalent level responsible for category commercial delivery level delivering strong results.
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Experience of building category propositions including selecting the appropriate product ranges together with promotions matching a target customer needs.
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Experience in creating and delivering strategic plans and budget forecasts.
Desirable Skills you will have:
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Previous experience of GM areas or seasonal/fixed buy categories.
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Experience in line management, coaching and mentoring.
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Previous experience of developing customer propositions.
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Previous experience of managing internal/external stakeholders.
Benefits of the Partnership and the role:
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- Hybrid Working.
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️ - Full - time working holiday entitlement 25 days holiday, plus public and bank holidays (this is pro-rated for part time hours).
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⚖ - Excellent work life balance, including focus on well being and flexible working and our marketing leading equal parenthood leave Policy
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- Defined Contribution pension scheme where your contributions will be matched by the Partnership (up to 8% of pay) and, after three years’ service, you’ll receive an additional Partnership contribution of 4% of pay, regardless of whether you pay in or not.
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- You’ll get Partnership discount in store and online once you complete your Earning Membership period. That’s 25% off in John Lewis (12% off electrical products, some exclusions apply) and 20% in Waitrose (some exclusions apply) You’ll also be able to nominate someone you live with to share your discount.
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- Simple cycle to work support scheme.
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- We’re really proud of our exclusive hotels based in some of Britain’s most beautiful areas and once you’ve been with us for three months, you’re welcome to explore them.
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- Health Care cover
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- Learn more about our extensive range of exciting benefits that you could enjoy when you join us, visit - https://www.jlpjobs.com/about/benefits/
Next Steps:
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The application form consists of a CV upload followed by application questions. Please ensure you refresh the page each time you complete a task to ensure you complete everything that you need to in time. (If internal, check your Workday notifications and see further guidance on the PDW under "Internal application process").
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Once you've submitted an application the next steps of the process, if successful, are likely to include a 1 stage virtual interview.
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You'll be asked about any adjustments you might need to support the recruitment process. Let us know, and we'll be sure to discuss it with you.
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Thanks for your patience in the meantime and for showing an interest in joining JLP.
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We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore, we recommend you apply early.
You can view a copy of the full job outline here (internal only)
For internal use only:
At the John Lewis Partnership, we embrace our differences. We want you to be you. Because, well, we know you're at your best when you're free to be yourself. Being a truly inclusive employer to us means creating an environment which celebrates your contribution, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion or belief. It's why we've set our own aim to become the UK’s most inclusive business - for our Partners (employees) and our customers. We firmly believe that our future success lies in diversity of thought from all Partners and it's integral in our mission to build a happier world. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us. And, once you're a Partner, your differences will make all the difference. Find out more about D&I in the Partnership here - https://www.jlpjobs.com/about/diversityandinclusion/