Head of Merchandising

A Bit About The Role

Papier, purveyors of an eclectic emporium of stationery and desk products that invite curiosity and contemplation, are looking to bring on board a Head of Merchandising to join the wider Buying and Merchandising team. As a Head of Merchandising, you will deliver a centre of excellence for B&M reporting; you will ensure we maximize category performance through the strategic range and stock planning, effective in-season trading and execution, forecasting and margin optimisation.

Taking the lead role in defining the Merchandising strategy to support the company strategy for both D2C and Wholesale. You will be part of a highly collaborative and tightly-knit team working closely with Buying, Finance, Operations, Wholesale, and Performance Marketing.

You will work under our Buying and Merchandising Director to define our merchandising strategy and demonstrate a willingness to set up and run relevant processes and systems that align with a DTC and Wholesale business servicing both on-demand and stock purchasing.

Requirements

What will you do day-to-day

Planning and Forecasting:

• Collaborate with Buying and Design teams on developing and coordinating seasonal strategy and delivery plans
• Managing all core Merchandising activities, including planning, re-forecasting, OTB, markdown and promotion, reporting, range planning and supply chain management
• Collaborate to define the price architecture, set the commercials of each new product against an overall commercial category strategy, deliver margin requirements and product growth
• Create a detailed budget and stock model
• Lead, manage and develop a team of two (currently one direct report), support promotions through various levels and grow the team in line with business needs.
• Lead the ongoing management and forecasting of stock throughout trading periods
• Manage and collaborate the translation of the budget into annual/seasonal open-to-buy forecasts, working with finance on cash flow requirements and then Buying, Design, and Ops on critical paths
• Manage the sales budgets and stock order volumes by product category
• Define product category range structures, including option counts and range depth
• Set pricing recommendations across all our product categories
• Work with trading to ensure that stock forecasts, budgets and gross margin targets align with the trading plan
• Planning, managing and achieving the targeted measures of sales, margin, stock, sell thru and markdown at the company level

Trading:

• Manage and support the sales and stock intake plan, monitoring stock levels on a weekly and monthly trading period
• Collaborate with Buying, Operations and Trading to ensure a solid critical path for stock delivery and replenishment in line with trading plans.
• Provide weekly and monthly updates to the broader trading group on key performance indicators, including sales and stock levels vs budget
• Monitor ongoing category performance to help inform future range planning
• Review in-season stock opportunities and stock-out risks to ensure we maximise category profitability

What about you: -

• A strong background in running a merchandising function, particularly managing own brand stock in an e-commerce and wholesale environment.
• Lead from the front and inspire your team through coaching and development, with a proven ability to lead teams through business change.
• As with any Merchandiser role, strong analytical skill set with an affinity for the product, brand and customer and experience in collaborating with creative roles
• You can easily tell a story through numbers to a broader audience.
• A natural communicator who can build effective relationships and thrive on working cross-functionally and influencing others.
• You use energy and enthusiasm to motivate and inspire others to achieve the overall goal.
• A high-growth and fast-paced environment are where you perform best and have the ability to learn quickly.
• You can easily wear multiple hats - be detailed and switch to high-level vision.
• You pivot quickly and can identify and respond to stock opportunities and risks.
• You pride yourself on collaboration and will have experience working alongside Buying, Design, eCommerce, Operations and Finance teams.
• Advanced Excel skills (of course), experience in Netsuite/ERP systems and BI knowledge would be advantageous as Papier continues to implement new systems.
• Experience in an omnichannel / wholesale sales environment would be advantageous.

Benefits

Why should you work with us?

• We recognise the need for a work-life balance and offer a hybrid working model of 3 days in the office at Maison Papier, our lovely Camden office.
• 25 days annual leave per year + buy an extra five days if you need to.
• 20 days per year to Work from Anywhere.
• Private medical and rewards scheme with Vitality Health (including 50% off gym memberships with Virgin Active, Pure Gym and more).
• Enrolment into the Papier Pension scheme through the People Pension.
• Enhanced parental leave policies.
• Cycle to work loan scheme.
• £40 per month cultural allowance to spend to inspire you.
• £75 personal stationery allowance, and £150 to spend on our Occasion stationery for a lifetime special event
• 40% staff discount along with a family and friends discount.
• Papier with Purpose. We give back to the community and offer 2 days paid per year to volunteer for a cause you/we care about.
• Constant access to mental health, well-being resources and support from our in-house first aiders.
• Weekly team lunches & regular cultural trips.
• Our pooches are a part of the Papier team and you may see them from time to time in Maison Papier.
• Inclusive and friendly team who will make you feel welcome from day one.

At Papier, we believe that the diverse perspectives of all paper people deserve to be celebrated. A creative and curious community, we strive to be inclusive and equitable to all. We’re an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant on any grounds. From hiring processes to day-to-day business, we aim to create an environment that is accessible and safe for everyone. We’re always working towards building a balanced and supportive workplace, with policies and ways of working to ensure everyone can make the most of their time with at Papier.