At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead merchandising strategy, manage stock and drive sales across all channels.
- Company: Join a fast-growing brand focused on innovation and growth.
- Benefits: Generous holiday, enhanced parental pay, volunteer days, and staff discounts.
- Other info: Hybrid work model with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of merchandising in a dynamic, collaborative environment.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in senior merchandising roles with strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
As Head of Merchandising, you are the strategic lead for all merchandising activity at My 1st Years. You will own the overall stock, sales and profit plan for the brand, setting the direction for your team and driving performance across all channels: ecommerce, marketplaces, and wholesale. You will be a commercially minded, data-driven leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can balance big-picture thinking with hands-on trading decisions.
Working closely with the CEO and the wider BMDQ team, you will be responsible for building and evolving a best-in-class merchandising function — one that underpins the commercial success of the business and supports its continued growth.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Strategy & Planning
- Own the brand-level stock, sales and profit plan, setting seasonal budgets and OTB in alignment with SLT (finance, data & customer).
- Lead the development of the annual and seasonal merchandising strategy, ensuring it supports the brand's growth ambitions across all channels.
- Work with the BMDQ team to shape the overall product and commercial strategy, bringing a clear merchandising perspective to all key decisions.
- Define and implement range architecture frameworks and price architecture standards across hardlines and softlines.
- Develop and oversee the merchandising strategy for international websites, ensuring range, pricing and OTB are appropriately planned by market and reflect local demand, seasonality and commercial opportunity.
- Trading & Performance
- Take overall ownership of brand KPIs including revenue, margin, markdown, stock cover, SKU availability, ASP and AOV — ensuring targets are met.
- Lead weekly and monthly trade meetings, providing clear performance analysis, decisive recommendations and follow-through on actions.
- Oversee the monthly re-forecasting of brand and category WSSIs, presenting updates and recommendations to Finance.
- Drive in-season trading decisions across ecommerce, international websites, marketplaces and wholesale, reacting quickly to performance trends.
- Monitor trading performance by international market, identifying opportunities and risks and making timely interventions — accounting for currency, local seasonality and market-specific demand patterns.
- Oversee the promotional and markdown planning process, ensuring the right interventions are made at the right time to protect margin and clear stock efficiently.
- Team Leadership
- Lead, develop and inspire the merchandising team, creating a high-performance culture with clear goals, accountability and development pathways.
- Set clear objectives for the Merchandisers and wider team, providing regular coaching and feedback to drive individual and team growth.
- Build the capability of the merchandising function over time, ensuring the team has the skills, tools and processes needed to scale with the business.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work in close partnership with Buying, Design, Marketing, Trading and Ecommerce to ensure a joined-up approach to range building, launches and promotions.
- Collaborate with the Warehouse and Operations teams to support efficient stock management and product onboarding.
- Build strong relationships with external suppliers and third-party partners where relevant to merchandising planning and execution.
- Partner with Marketing, Ecommerce & international general managers on international site trading, including localised promotional calendars, market-specific product launches and regional pricing strategies.
- Process & Systems
- Utilising AI, drive continuous improvement across merchandising processes, ways of working and tooling to improve efficiency and decision-making speed.
- Ensure merchandising data, reporting and forecasting frameworks are robust, accurate and scalable.
- Champion best practice across the team, maintaining high standards in data integrity, critical path management and internal system use.
- Support the CEO and wider business with ad hoc commercial projects and brand initiatives as required.
- Skills and Knowledge
- Significant experience in a senior merchandising role, ideally within a fast-growing ecommerce or direct-to-consumer brand.
- Proven track record of owning and delivering a brand-level P&L, with experience managing budgets of meaningful scale.
- Deep commercial acumen — highly numerate, analytically rigorous, and able to translate data into clear, confident decisions.
- Strong experience across multiple channels including ecommerce, international websites, marketplaces and wholesale.
- Experience trading across international or multi-market ecommerce sites, with a solid understanding of the commercial nuances involved — including localised pricing, currency, fulfilment differences and varying seasonal demand.
- Excellent leadership and people management skills, with the ability to build, motivate and develop a high-performing team.
- Outstanding communication and presentation skills — equally comfortable presenting to the CEO and collaborating with junior team members.
- Advanced Excel skills; experience with trading or merchandising tools and BI platforms is a plus.
- Highly organised with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- A natural collaborator who builds trust quickly and brings people together around a common goal.
Location
Hybrid — 2 to 3 days in office per week.
Benefits
- 25 days holiday (increasing to 28 with service) + Bank Holidays
- Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Pay
- Summer Hours (3pm finish every Friday in June, July & August)
- 2 Volunteer Days per year
- Birthday Day off (in addition to your holiday allowance)
- Early finish on payday
- Staff Discount
- Free onsite parking
Head of Merchandising in Kettering employer: My 1st Years
At My 1st Years, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture. As the Head of Merchandising, you will benefit from a supportive environment that prioritises employee growth through clear development pathways and collaborative teamwork. With generous benefits such as enhanced parental leave, volunteer days, and a unique summer hours initiative, we ensure our employees enjoy a healthy work-life balance while contributing to the brand's exciting journey in the fast-paced ecommerce landscape.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Merchandising in Kettering
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend events, and engage on social media. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their merchandising strategies and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals. Show them you’re not just another candidate!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be clear about what you bring to the table and how you can drive performance across channels. Confidence is key, so rehearse your answers to common interview questions until they feel natural.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our team at My 1st Years.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Merchandising in Kettering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experience that align with the Head of Merchandising role. Highlight your strategic thinking, data-driven decisions, and any relevant achievements in merchandising to catch our eye!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about merchandising and how your experience can help drive our brand's growth. Be sure to mention specific examples that showcase your leadership and commercial acumen.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills:Since this role is all about data-driven decision-making, don’t shy away from showcasing your analytical skills. Include examples of how you've used data to influence trading decisions or improve performance in previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website:We love it when candidates apply directly through our website! It helps us keep track of applications better. So, make sure you submit your application there to ensure it gets the attention it deserves.
How to prepare for a job interview at My 1st Years
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Head of Merchandising, you'll need to demonstrate your commercial acumen. Brush up on key metrics like revenue, margin, and stock cover. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive decisions in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare to talk about your experience in developing merchandising strategies. Think of specific examples where you set seasonal budgets or implemented range architecture frameworks that led to growth. This will show your ability to think big while managing the details.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
You'll be leading a team, so be prepared to share your approach to team development. Discuss how you've inspired and motivated teams in the past, and what strategies you use to create a high-performance culture.
✨Collaborate Like a Pro
This role requires cross-functional collaboration, so think of examples where you've worked closely with other departments like Buying, Design, or Marketing. Highlight how you built relationships and ensured a joined-up approach to achieve common goals.
