Growth Director - Manchester

THE ROLE

Debenhams Group is entering an exciting new phase of growth.

We're looking for an exceptional Growth Director to identify, develop and deliver new commercial opportunities across the Group, creating incremental revenue, strengthening our proposition and unlocking long-term value.

We're looking for a highly commercial, financially astute and exceptionally well-connected leader who can look beyond our existing business model and identify where the next opportunities for growth could come from.

Whether through new partnerships, strategic alliances, new propositions, commercial models, categories, services, markets or entirely new revenue streams, you'll have the network, commercial instinct and credibility to open doors – and the financial capability to determine which opportunities are genuinely worth pursuing.

Reporting into senior Group leadership, you'll work closely with the CEO, CFO, Managing Directors and wider SLT to turn ideas and relationships into commercially viable opportunities.

• WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING
• Own and develop the Group growth pipeline, identifying new opportunities capable of delivering meaningful incremental revenue and profit.
• Use your external network and market relationships to introduce opportunities, partnerships and commercial conversations that wouldn't naturally come to us.
• Identify whitespace across the Group, looking beyond our existing model to understand where Debenhams Group can play and win next.
• Build relationships with major brands, platforms, technology businesses, financial services providers, strategic partners and other organisations that could create value for the Group.
• Originate and negotiate strategic partnerships, joint ventures, commercial agreements and new business models.
• Build robust business cases around opportunities, including revenue potential, investment requirements, margin, EBITDA contribution, ROI, payback and associated risk.
• Work closely with Finance to challenge assumptions and ensure opportunities are commercially and financially compelling, not simply strategically interesting.
• Present recommendations and investment cases to the CEO, CFO and senior Group stakeholders, influencing decisions at the highest level.
• Take opportunities from initial idea and introduction through commercial modelling, negotiation and execution.
• Work across our brands and Group functions to identify opportunities that can leverage our customer reach, brands, data, technology, marketplace capability and infrastructure.
• Build a strong external view of emerging consumer behaviours, new business models, disruptive businesses and adjacent markets.
• Understand what competitors – both within and outside retail – are doing differently and translate those insights into actionable opportunities.
• Create clear measures of success and maintain accountability for the commercial performance of initiatives after launch.
• Be prepared to challenge how we operate today and bring new thinking, new relationships and new revenue opportunities into the Group.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

You'll be an established commercial leader with a strong track record of creating growth rather than simply managing an existing P&L.

You'll combine exceptional commercial judgement with the ability to build relationships, influence senior leaders and get deals done.

We'd love to see

• Significant experience in commercial growth, business development, strategy, partnerships, corporate development or new ventures at Director level.
• A demonstrable track record of identifying and delivering new revenue and profit streams.
• An exceptional external network with the ability to open doors at senior and C-suite level.
• Strong financial acumen – comfortable building, interrogating and challenging complex commercial models.
• A deep understanding of P&L, EBITDA, margin, ROI, investment cases and value creation.
• Experience negotiating significant commercial agreements and strategic partnerships.
• The ability to spot an opportunity, quickly understand its commercial potential and determine whether we should build, buy, partner or walk away.
• Strong executive presence and the credibility to work directly with the CEO, CFO, Managing Directors and Board-level stakeholders.
• Experience working within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and highly commercial organisation.
• The ability to operate strategically while remaining close enough to the detail to turn an opportunity into delivery.
• A strong understanding of digital businesses, marketplaces, consumer brands or retail would be advantageous – but we're equally interested in leaders who can bring thinking and relationships from outside our traditional sector.
• THE PERSON

We're looking for someone who is naturally curious and constantly asking: Where is the next £10m, £20m, or £50m opportunity for Debenhams Group?

• You'll be someone who sees connections others don't.
• You'll know who to call, how to get into the room and how to turn a conversation into a genuine commercial opportunity.
• You'll be entrepreneurial but financially disciplined – excited by big ideas, but equally comfortable killing an opportunity when the numbers don't stack up.
• You'll have confidence without ego, be comfortable challenging senior stakeholders and thrive in an environment where pace, ownership and commercial delivery matter.
• Most importantly, you'll be a doer.
• We don't just want someone who can develop a growth strategy or produce a great presentation.

We want someone who can originate opportunities, build the case, negotiate the deal and make it happen.

WHY DEBENHAMS GROUP?

Debenhams Group is home to Debenhams, Pretty Little Thing, boohoo, boohoo MAN and Karen Millen, bringing together some of the UK's most recognised digital consumer brands.

We're transforming the Group around a leaner, faster, technology-led and marketplace-driven model, with the successful transformation of Debenhams providing the blueprint for our wider strategy.

Our ambition is significant, and growth will increasingly come not only from doing more of what we already do, but from identifying new ways to monetise our brands, customers, technology, partnerships and platform.