Digital Trading Director (12 Months FTC) in Leicester

People love Dunelm. That statement is true for the millions of Customers, the ‘savvy home lovers’ who love the broad range of quality, value for money homewares products, the unique in-store and online experience, and Dunelm’s distinctive local feel. It is also true for the 12,000 Colleagues who benefit from an ambitious, entrepreneurial, family-oriented culture and challenger-brand mentality which combine to create an environment that is conducive to making things happen fast. And it’s also true for Investors who have seen strong and consistent returns to date and are excited by the leadership team’s calibre and vision, and the strength of Dunelm’s multi-channel offering.

This role is part of the wider Digital Team, as part of the overall Customer and Digital Team. The Digital Team is accountable for driving digital growth across the organisation alongside optimising and understanding customers (including Digital Trade, Performance Marketing and CRM Teams).

The role will work across other senior leaders in the business, including Tech, Commercial, Insight & Analytics, Customer, Supply Chain and Stores.

Reporting to the Chief Customer Officer, the role is a key digital leadership role and sits on the Dunelm Leadership Team, with significant influence on the strategic direction of the business and its Digital journey. The candidate will bring digital trading expertise and leadership to drive our growth agenda through our digital channels. The post holder will have responsibility for driving sales, profitability, optimisation and experimentation and customer satisfaction wherever customers engage with digital channels as part of the omni‑channel shopping journey.

What you’ll be doing:

• Have a deep understanding of Dunelm, its customers, values, competitors, market opportunities and challenges.
• Understand the organisation’s ambitions; strategically, commercially, and culturally.
• Work in partnership with the Chief Customer Officer and Dunelm Leadership Team peers to deliver cross‑functional objectives based on profitable returns.
• Extend and develop Dunelm’s digital capabilities and capacities which will help ‘futureproof’ and grow the business, including partnering to help drive performance through the App.
• Leadership of Digital Growth, Operations and Optimisation teams with accountability for KPIs in these areas.
• Ensure every aspect of online customer channels deliver a co‑ordinated, complementary ‘best in class’ customer experience.
• Build on eCommerce customer propositions, harnessing the latest technology to create a truly customer‑focused experience that grows profitable sales over the long term.
• Take a leading role in overall customer and trading planning – challenging other channels, categories and services to deliver our digital growth ambitions.
• Take a data‑led approach, using and improving experimentation to test quickly, learn and make improvements that deliver measurable results.
• Digital sales performance – continue to build upon the excellent sales performance so far and ensure that delivery is clearly understood, measured and improved upon year‑on‑year against KPIs.
• Champion the Total Retail System, working across the business to improve the overall customer proposition and leverage the benefit of being a multichannel retailer.
• Act as an ambassador for the customer; develop strong relationships across the wider business, influencing activity across all channels to drive growth and profitability.
• Being externally curious, continually scanning the environment to gain knowledge and understanding, and using this to continuously challenge our thinking and raise the bar on our digital proposition.
• Develop and provide inspirational leadership that is recognised for its business focus, exceptional execution and innovative approaches.
• Define, implement and continually review the optimum team structure to deliver results and retain talent. Building capability focussed on growth.
• Engage the wider business on our digital purpose and vision through compelling storytelling, generating excitement and momentum.

What we’ll look for in you:

• Demonstrable experience of ‘best in class’ customer‑focused multichannel operations.
• A strong understanding of retail is desired although retail operating experience is not a necessity.
• Significant experience of leading a proven digital business with responsibility for trading, digital operations, digital optimisation and technology management with a focus on social commerce, experimentation and content creation.
• Proven track record in contributing to, if not leading, a significant P&L and delivering profitable growth.
• Exceptional people management skills with an ability to develop teams and build succession planning.
• Ability to create and communicate a bold vision of the digital customer proposition for now and the future.
• Make a strong enterprise‑wide contribution as a member of the leadership team.
• Lead an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves, feel at home and get fully involved.
• Noticing and adapting the business to succeed with changing political, economic, societal, and technological situations.
• Being proactive in recognising and unleashing potential, creating springboards to flow talent throughout the business.
• Being prepared to admit when decisions aren’t working and being able to change direction.
• Continually raising expectations and ambition in what teams deliver.
• Operationalise strategy, measuring progress and continually re‑evaluating high level priorities.
• Future focussed, leaning in to technology that is shaping the digital environment including opportunities to use AI to enhance our digital landscape & move our digital capabilities forward.