At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the Fashion category, driving digital performance and optimising customer journeys.
- Company: Join the largest employee-owned business in the UK with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Flexible hybrid working, competitive salary, and a supportive work-life balance.
- Other info: Embrace diversity and thrive in a collaborative environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the fashion industry while leading a dynamic team.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in digital trading, strong leadership skills, and a passion for fashion.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About The Role
We offer a flexible, hybrid working model designed to give you the best of both worlds. Currently, this role is based in our London head office three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday), with the remaining two days worked from home.
In this role, you will lead our Fashion category, driving digital performance across apparel, footwear, and accessories. You'll bring a fast-paced, trend-responsive mindset to online trading, ensuring our digital storefront feels dynamic, inspiring, and aligned with seasonal shifts and key brand drops.
As we continue to expand and transform our online customer experience, this role plays a pivotal part in driving the digital performance and strategy for our categories. Managing a high-performing digital merchandising team, you will be accountable for annual, period, and weekly performance-anticipating market opportunities, optimizing customer journeys, and leveraging data to drive growth across our digital channels.
Key Responsibilities
- Category Ownership & Strategy: Define and execute the digital category strategy, setting and delivering against revenue, margin, and growth targets across conversion optimisation, range, and availability.
- Trading & Performance Management: Own day-to-day digital trading, accurately forecasting performance metrics, communicating insights, and swiftly deploying actions to maximise growth and mitigate risks.
- Digital Merchandising & Journey Optimization: Enhance the end-to-end digital customer journey across search, content, and merchandising; collaborate with product and design teams to remove friction points and improve site conversion.
- Data-Driven Insights & Experimentation: Harness advanced analytics tools (e.g., Adobe, ContentSquare, Tableau) to translate data into actionable trading strategies, running experimentation tests to continuously optimise site performance.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the digital category champion, partnering closely with Commercial, Customer, and Digital teams to align priorities, drive digital transformation, and execute trade plans.
- Campaign & Content Execution: Lead category-specific digital launches and campaigns, supporting SEO, onsite search, and content optimisation while maximising retail media potential.
- Build & Lead High-Performing Teams: Lead, coach, and inspire a team of 6-11 Partners, fostering a growth mindset and driving the adoption of modern tools and AI to blend human creativity with algorithmic precision.
Essential Skills/Experience You’ll Need
- Scale & Pace of Delivery: Proven track record of planning and delivering large-scale content, campaigns, and site optimisations at pace within a fast-moving, dynamic environment.
- Fashion & Apparel Agility: Strong background in online fashion trading, with a deep understanding of trend seasonality, size/fit optimisation, and returns mitigation strategies.
- Brand & Trend Storytelling: Experience partnering with major fashion brands and internal editorial teams to curate high-converting landing pages, trend edits, and campaign activations.
- Commercial & Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of financial metrics, e-commerce levers, and budget management, with a track record of translating data into commercial decisions.
- People Leadership: 5+ years of experience leading and developing high-performing, diverse, or remote teams through transformation and change.
- Analytics & Insight Expertise: Comfortable working with analytics tools to make fast, evidence-based trading decisions and site improvements.
- Influence & Executive Communication: Exceptional presentation and communication skills with a proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
- Co-Owned Mindset & Enterprise Thinking: Ability to break down silos, put the customer at the heart of every decision, and act as a responsible owner within a co-owned business model.
Desirable Skills/Experience You May Have
- Multi-Category Retail Expertise: Prior digital or e-commerce experience within a complex, multi-category retail environment.
- Cross-Digital Ecosystem Exposure: Hands-on experience collaborating closely across broader digital capabilities, including Product, Digital Marketing, Retail Media, and CX.
About The Partnership
We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.
We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.
As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.
As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.
Important points to note:
It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.
We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or short-hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
Digital Category Lead, Fashion in London employer: John Lewis & Partners
John Lewis & Partners is an excellent employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee development and customer satisfaction. Located in Milton Keynes, the company provides comprehensive training for its In-Store Customer Experience Specialists, ensuring that all team members have the skills needed to excel in their roles while fostering a sense of community and collaboration among staff.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Digital Category Lead, Fashion in London
✨Get Down to the Fashion Events
Dive headfirst into local fashion shows, trade fairs, and networking events. These are golden opportunities to meet industry pros and showcase your passion for the industry in person. Plus, it gives you the chance to chat about potential roles at places like John Lewis & Partners!
✨Join Fashion-Focused Communities
Become a part of online fashion communities on platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. Participate in discussions and share your insights on trends or your personal style journey. It’s a great way to get noticed by brands looking to fill positions, including John Lewis & Partners.
✨Craft a Rock-Solid Portfolio
Since you're aiming for a full-time gig, your portfolio should reflect not just your best work but also your personality. Whether it’s lookbooks, design sketches, or styling projects, make sure it screams 'you' and includes a bit about why you’d be a perfect fit for John Lewis & Partners.
✨Leverage Your University Connections
If you’re fresh out of university, don’t underestimate your career services. They often have partnerships with fashion companies for internships and entry-level roles. Use this to your advantage and connect with them to find any openings at John Lewis & Partners!
We think you need these skills to ace Digital Category Lead, Fashion in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Style:In the fashion-apparel industry, your personal style and understanding of current trends are crucial. Make sure your CV and cover letter reflect your unique fashion sense – use visuals if you can and highlight any fashion-related experiences or projects that show off your flair!
Highlight Relevant Experience:When you're applying for a full-time role, be sure to focus on any past roles or internships in fashion that’ve honed your skills. Whether that's working in retail, fashion design, or marketing, quantify your achievements and show how they relate to the role at John Lewis & Partners.
Include a Strong Portfolio:An impressive portfolio is key in fashion! Make sure to include a link to your online portfolio in your CV, showcasing your best work, be it designs, campaigns, or styling projects. This is your chance to let your creativity shine and demonstrate your abilities to John Lewis & Partners!
Craft a Standout Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to weave in your passion for fashion and the specific reasons you want to work at John Lewis & Partners. Share your vision of how you'd contribute to their brand and why you're excited about their work. Tailoring this will make you stand out from the crowd!
How to prepare for a job interview at John Lewis & Partners
✨Showcase Your Style Portfolio
For a role in the fashion-apparel industry, having a well-curated portfolio is essential. Ensure you include your best work that reflects your style and creativity, whether it's sketches, lookbooks, or completed designs. Be ready to discuss your design process and the inspirations behind your pieces!
✨Know the Latest Trends and Brands
Being well-versed in current fashion trends and influential brands can give you a leg up in the interview. Get familiar with what’s trending in the market and know your competitors. This shows your passion for the industry and helps you connect your work experience to current fashion trajectories.
✨Demonstrate Your Collaboration Skills
In a full-time fashion role, collaboration is key, whether you’re working with designers, marketers, or suppliers. Be prepared to share experiences where you successfully worked as part of a team or navigated challenges with colleagues. This will highlight your ability to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
✨Dress the Part
This might sound obvious, but in fashion, how you present yourself is part of your brand. Wear something that represents your personal style while still aligning with the company’s aesthetic. It’s a great way to show you understand the industry's essence and can embody the brand’s image!
