At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead digital strategy and optimise the website and app experience for maximum customer engagement.
- Company: Join the UK's largest employee-owned business, known for its cherished brands.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, and a supportive team culture.
- Other info: Embrace a dynamic environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on digital performance while leading a high-performing team.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in digital leadership with strong analytical and communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Salary: £76,800.00 – £100,000.00
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: 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 look across our digital ecosystem to optimize the core Website & App experience, serving as the bridge between category trading and platform product development. You’ll focus on driving app retention, refining site taxonomy, and unearthing cross-category discovery opportunities to maximize customer lifetime value. 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 optimization, range, and availability.
- Trading & Performance Management: Own day-to-day digital trading, accurately forecasting performance metrics, communicating insights, and swiftly deploying actions to maximize 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 optimize 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 optimization while maximizing 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.
- Platform & App Commercialization: Track record of driving growth within native mobile apps and site-wide navigation/taxonomy, balancing pure category trading with long-term UX improvements.
- Cross-Category Strategy: Ability to analyze holistic customer journeys across multiple product verticals to eliminate cross-site friction, boost basket building, and optimize sitewide conversion.
- 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.
Closing Date: August 3, 2026
Pay: £76,800.00 - £123,000.00
Annual Contract Type: Permanent
Hours of Work: 35
Job Level: Partnership Level 5
Where You’ll Be Working: London Central Office, 1 Drummond Gate, London, SW1V 2QQ
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 also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants. 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 shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
At the John Lewis Partnership we’re not just employees; we’re co-owners, and that’s why we’re called Partners. Being a Partner means not only do we all collectively share the responsibilities of being the UK’s largest employee-owned business, but we also share in its rewards and successes. It’s this ownership model that makes the Partnership a very unique place to work.
Digital Category Lead, Total Site/App employer: John Lewis plc
John Lewis plc is an excellent employer, offering a supportive work culture at The Odney Hotel in the picturesque setting of Cookham, Berkshire. Employees benefit from competitive pay, flexible part-time hours, and opportunities for growth within a renowned company known for its commitment to customer service excellence. Join us to be part of a team that values your contributions and fosters a rewarding career in hospitality.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Digital Category Lead, Total Site/App
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We think you need these skills to ace Digital Category Lead, Total Site/App
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Passion for Learning:When applying for a role in digital learning and education at John Lewis plc, make sure to sprinkle your application with examples of your enthusiasm for teaching and learning technologies. Share specific experiences where you've used, designed, or implemented digital learning solutions, as this shows us that you truly get the field.
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Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:In your cover letter, express not just your qualifications, but your vision for the future of digital education. Discuss how your experiences align with the mission of John Lewis plc and highlight any innovative ideas you might have for enhancing learning experiences. This is your chance to connect with us on a deeper level!
How to prepare for a job interview at John Lewis plc
✨Get Hands-On with Learning Technologies
Familiarise yourself with common digital learning tools and platforms, like LMS systems or authoring tools that John Lewis plc might use. Understanding these will give you an edge and show you’re ready to jump in from day one!
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Expect to be asked about your experience working collaboratively with educators or other stakeholders. Consider discussing how you've contributed to a team effort in creating engaging educational content or improving student outcomes.
