At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead M&S' partnership with Sephora, driving commercial strategy and team collaboration.
- Company: Join the innovative team at Marks & Spencer, a leader in retail.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, and tailored training from day one.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with opportunities for personal growth and community support.
- Why this job: Shape the future of beauty retail and make a real impact on customer experiences.
- Qualifications: Experience in retail trading, project leadership, and strong stakeholder engagement skills.
The predicted salary is between 56700 - 69300 £ per year.
Are you ready to shape M&S’ biggest brand partnership within Beauty? As our Sephora Partnership Lead, you’ll be at the heart of the relationship between M&S and Sephora, bringing together commercial strategy, trading performance and cross-functional teams to grow our concession business. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a major beauty partnership and turn commercial plans into an outstanding experience for our customers.
What you’ll do
- Lead and manage the relationship with Sephora, including senior stakeholders, through structured monthly and quarterly business reviews that track performance and identify opportunities.
- Shape, refine and execute the end-to-end partnership strategy and ongoing trading plan with Sephora, aligning internal teams and external partners to deliver sustainable commercial growth.
- Own the full concession P&L and key KPIs, including weekly trading performance, annual budgets, reforecasting and long-term strategic planning.
- Influence and align cross-functional teams across Commercial, Finance, Store Operations, Supply Chain, Online and Marketing to deliver the business plan.
- Lead the planning, prioritisation and delivery of future Sephora rollouts and refresh programmes against agreed timelines, budgets and commercial return targets.
Who you are
- A strong understanding of end-to-end retail trading and operations, with knowledge of Property, Online, Marketing and Loyalty.
- Experience leading large projects or a functional area with significant cross-functional dependencies, ideally involving external partners.
- Strong stakeholder and partner engagement skills, with the ability to build credible relationships and galvanise support across indirect teams.
- Commercial acumen, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills to translate data and insight into executable plans.
- Confident decision-making, influencing and communication skills, with the ability to deliver at pace through ambiguity and complexity; Beauty brand management experience is desirable.
What’s in it for you?
- 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation.
- Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more.
- Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours.
- Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future.
- Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one.
- Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal.
- Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave.
- 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services.
- One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you.
Everyone’s welcome. We are ambitious about the future of retail. We are disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We are transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
Sephora Partnership Lead in London employer: Marks & Spencer Group
Join M&S as a Customer Assistant in our Food section, where you'll be part of a dynamic team that values hard work and dedication. With a strong focus on employee growth and development, we offer a vibrant work culture that encourages collaboration and innovation. Located in Wolstanton, you will enjoy the benefits of working for one of the UK's fastest-growing retailers, with opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career while delivering exceptional service to our valued customers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Sephora Partnership Lead in London
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like Marks & Spencer Group, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like Marks & Spencer Group!
We think you need these skills to ace Sephora Partnership Lead in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at Marks & Spencer Group, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at Marks & Spencer Group and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show Marks & Spencer Group that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at Marks & Spencer Group
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
