Senior Merchandiser - Childrenswear, 12 month Maternity Cover

Overview

As a Senior Merchandiser, you’ll play a pivotal role in planning and delivering profitable, customer-focused ranges. You’ll ensure the right stock is in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price — always keeping the customer front of mind.

You’ll also lead, coach, and inspire your team within the Merchandising function, driving commercial success through data-led decisions, collaboration, and strategic planning.

This is a 12-month fixed-term maternity cover contract to start in early 2027 and finish early 2028.

Location: 4/5 days per week at our North Acton office.

What You Will Do

• Develop and deliver the product planning strategy for your department, aligned to business and margin targets.
• Shape the range framework, using sales analysis to inform range architecture, product phasing and a balanced, commercial assortment.
• Build and optimise range size, newness phasing, and attribute and pricing architecture, always thinking customer first.
• Lead the financial planning cycle, including KPIs, demand phasing, OTB spend, WSSI management and monthly reforecasting.
• Partner with Buying to plan, review and sign off buy quantities, aligned to ROS, hind-sighting and production forecasts.
• Lead weekly trade meetings, turning insights into action and proactively managing sales, stock and BTA performance to maximise profitability.
• Drive markdown and terminal stock management. (Your text cut off after “Drive markdown and terminal stock managem”, so I’ve assumed the rest. Please check this against the original.)

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience as a Merchandiser, ideally in a fast-paced retail or fashion environment.
• A natural leader with experience managing and developing high-performing teams, including managing underperformance within a structured framework.
• Highly analytical, with exceptional attention to detail and advanced Excel skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and a customer-first mindset.
• Confident communicator who can influence and challenge across functions.
• Organised and proactive, able to manage multiple priorities and take ownership of decisions and outcomes.
• Collaborative, adaptable and approachable, leading by example and supporting the wider Merchandising team.