Head of Merchandising & Buying in London

Our client is a disruptive UK streetwear brand that is scaling fast and looking for exceptional talent to help shape what’s next. Reporting to the General Manager, the Head of Merchandising & Buying owns the merchandising and product buying function end-to-end. You are responsible for defining and delivering the merchandising strategy that enables sustainable, profitable growth across all channels. As part of the senior management team, you play a critical role in shaping our overall commercial and product strategy.

This role carries full responsibility for revenue planning, range planning, stock investment, margin optimisation, and inventory risk management, while leading and developing the merchandising team.

The Role:

• Merchandising Range & Planning Strategy
  • Define and own seasonal and annual range, buying, and merchandising strategy aligned with growth targets.
  • Lead range architecture, category planning, and SKU assortment across all collections.
  • Manage product pyramid, category weighting, and options to optimise assortment and buy depth.
  • Build merchandising infrastructure, processes, and systems to support international scale.
  • Develop top-down and bottom-up sales, stock, and margin plans.
  • Own OTB strategy and product investment allocation across categories and collections.
  • Define pricing architecture and margin optimisation strategy, partnering with Product Development to meet cost and margin targets.
  • Identify category growth and whitespace opportunities, and drive improvements in stock turn, sell-through, and inventory efficiency.
• Commercial & Financial Ownership
  • Own revenue, margin, sell-through, and stock KPIs.
  • Own inventory risk management and stock health, balancing availability, cash flow, and stock efficiency.
  • Lead promotional and markdown strategy to protect margin while optimising sell-through.
  • Define structured markdown and exit strategies for end-of-life stock while protecting brand perception and profitability.
  • Present weekly and monthly trading performance with clear action plans.
  • Ensure stock availability supports demand generation and marketing strategy.
  • Ensure buy quantities and depth strategies are aligned to demand forecasts and growth targets.
  • Translate product performance analysis and trading insights into future range decisions and buy adjustments.
• Forecasting & Inventory Management
  • Own demand forecasting and intake planning.
  • Ensure forecasting accuracy and robust scenario planning.
  • Optimise size ratios, depth strategy, and replenishment models.
  • Improve systems, reporting, and merchandising processes where necessary.
  • Lead the evaluation, optimisation, and potential implementation of merchandising systems and planning tools to future-proof the function.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Lead, mentor, and develop the merchandising team.
  • Set clear OKRs, KPIs, and accountability frameworks.
  • Coach team members in commercial decision-making and strategic thinking.
  • Foster a collaborative, performance-led culture.
  • Design a clear team structure and capability, aligned to future scale (including international growth and channel expansion).
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Product and Design to define range architecture, assortment, pricing, and depth strategy aligned with revenue and margin targets.
  • Provide commercial input into product briefs, ensuring collections meet customer demand, category performance, and growth objectives.
  • Collaborate with Marketing to align stock with campaigns and launches, Finance on budgeting, forecasting, and stock investment, and Operations to optimise intake and availability.
  • Enhance cross-department communication on stock risk and opportunity.
  • Establish structured cross-functional trading forums and decision-making frameworks to improve alignment, accountability, and execution speed.
• Technical Skills & Commercial Capability
  • Advanced forecasting and planning expertise with strong financial acumen (margin, stock turn, cash flow, OTB).
  • Proven commercial product and range planning capability within an in-house product development environment.
  • Excellent analytical, numerical, and advanced spreadsheet skills.
  • Deep understanding of product development and production lifecycle.
  • Strong eCommerce trading experience and knowledge of digital marketing impact on demand.
  • Proven stakeholder management and influencing skills.
  • Experience building merchandising infrastructure in a high-growth, scaling environment.

A good fit looks like:

• A love for the brand and understanding of our mission.
• 5+ years of merchandising leadership experience (fashion eCommerce preferred).
• Experience owning both merchandising and product range planning.
• Proven ownership of significant stock budgets and revenue targets.
• Demonstrated success in delivering revenue and margin growth.
• Strong commercial and strategic track record.
• A positive attitude and willingness to grow with the brand.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and deliver high-quality work.
• Strong organisation, communication, and collaboration skills.