Customer Operations Executive Apprentice in Sunderland

We’re Pentland Brands: a global family business behind some of the world’s most iconic active and lifestyle brands. We bring integrity, energy and ambition to our work, setting high standards and striving to deliver great outcomes without ego. Shape the work behind some of the world’s most loved sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands. At Pentland Brands, every role helps move our brands forward. Whether you’re supporting our people, improving our systems, growing our commercial performance, strengthening operations or shaping better ways of working, your impact reaches across a portfolio of iconic brands used by consumers around the world.

The Customer Operations Executive role is responsible for placing and managing customer orders for their designated accounts. This role will focus on creating a seamless customer journey to place customer orders and support delivery of these in line with customer expectations. This role will engage directly with customers to convert customer orders, resolve queries, and provide regular updates on order progress. This role will work collaboratively with other supply chain functions, commercial and credit teams to support the delivery of Pentland’s business objectives.

What you’ll be doing:

• Order placement, tracking and delivery against customer orderbooks with a focus on our customers across the EMEA Region
• Organising, tracking and satisfying in season order requests
• Ensuring the timely conversion of customer orders once stock is available for delivery to customers
• Communicating order progress to internal and external stakeholders
• Process cancellations, credits, debits, returns of non-faulty goods, VAS and DC requirements
• Export documentation and compliance for global logistics where required
• Order management and administration of business processes related to orders for goods or services
• Managing the key activities and actions involved in processing an order to the satisfaction of the customer
• Provide regular updates on Sales and Order book information, a record of customer returns, debits and credits and general and order processing activity
• Making and communicating the necessary changes made to the Customers Order book in line with the business and customers’ requirements
• Identify potential problems and solutions required to manage Customer OTIF
• Working cross functionally with the Asia merchandising and shipping team to manage the aspect of delivering Direct Delivery Export to Market, if required
• Produce regular Data analysis on Order Book and Supply Chain using internal and external sources
• Ability to interrogate and source information from SAP
• Working with specific Customers within channel; Pentland Distribution; Pentland Shipping Customer Operations teams
• Understand and support the delivery of brand priorities

What you’ll bring:

• Strong Excel capability
• Attention to detail
• Reporting and analytical skills
• Experience in a customer focused role
• Experience in administrative duties to raise cancellations, credits, debits, invoicing and orders
• Stock management and orderbook management skills
• Experience of interpreting large amounts of data and confident in reporting procedures
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills across all levels of the business
• Previous Customer Service/Key Account Sales Support experience and/or Sales environment
• Knowledge of EDI order processing, preferable
• Knowledge and management of on-line Retailer/distribution is desirable
• Team player
• A problem solver

Why Pentland Brands?

Pentland Brands is the name behind some of the world’s best-known sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands, including Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury, Endura, Ellesse, Kickers and Mitre. We are a global family business with a clear purpose: pioneering brands that make life better. Across our teams, functions and locations, we work together to create products, experiences and partnerships that help people live more active, confident and positive lives. Joining Pentland Brands means becoming part of a business where your work can have real reach, across multiple brands, markets, teams and disciplines. It is a place for people who want to contribute, collaborate, improve how things are done and help build the future of brands with heritage, ambition and global impact.

Perks & Benefits

We offer a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, generous holiday allowance, product discounts, sample sales, enhanced family-friendly policies, healthcare support, gym and fitness discounts, cycle to work scheme and electric car scheme. You can find full details of our benefits and perks on our UK Benefits page.

The Interview Process

We want our interview process to feel clear, straightforward, and supportive. If your experience and expectations look like a strong match for the role, here’s what you can expect next:

• Talent Team Intro Call - A 30-minute video call with our Talent Team to get to know each other, talk through the role and your experience, and answer any questions you have.
• Experience Interview - A more in-depth interview (usually online) with the hiring manager to explore your skills, experience and approach, and how these align with the role, our principles, and our ways of working.
• Final Interview - A final in-person interview at our office, focused on deeper discussion and practical application, giving you the chance to meet more of the team and see Pentland Brands in action.