Buying Events Manager & Assistant Programme Manager

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Job Description

What's in it for you?

Being a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We're an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special...

• After completing your probationary period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.

• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!

• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.

• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.

• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.

• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.

• Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.

• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.

• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

What you'll do

As a hub of best practice on project and programme delivery the Transformation Delivery Team have the challenge and responsibility to deliver the strategic vision for International, working with cross functional teams to drive the business forward. We have an exciting Assistant Programme Manager opportunity; the successful candidate will work on delivering the key Buying Events for our International Partners, collaborating with Buying and Trading teams, Visual Merchandising, Communications , Finance and external Events production companies to deliver professional events showcasing our Clothing & Home and Food ranges. In addition, the successful candidate will take accountability for specific projects within the International Portfolio and support the team on larger programmes.

If you thrive in a fast paced environment, are curious and adaptable and have a passion for product and delivering transformational change across retail, there has never been a better time to join us.

We are looking for an individual with experience in managing or supporting projects and programmes, who can operate in ambiguity, has strong communication skills and can keep focus on the end goal.

• Plan, lead and deliver buying events throughout the year for Clothing & Home and Foods for the International Buying unit
• Lead delivery of buying events and projects within a programme / strategic objective portfolio
• Defines each event / project objectives, scope, roles and responsibilities
• Supports event / project teams to problem solve, coordinating resources and actions to deliver solutions
• Defines and manages project investment case and tracks project delivery cost against budget
• Prepares detailed event / project plan and manages delivery in line with plan, adjusting for any changes as needed
• Manages event / project reporting and tracking and escalation of risks
• Identifies and manages change to ensure project is embedded into BAU
• Manages status updates and supports with creation of upwards reporting material within portfolio structures
• Supports programme team where appropriate with workshops, stakeholder engagement and comms planning

Who you are

• Passionate about understanding our customers requirements and putting customer at the centre of decision making
• Proven events management experience including cross functional planning and execution of events, plus review / implementation of learnings
• Proven project management skills, or previous consulting delivery experience
• Able to apply experience and knowledge of project delivery methodologies to new subject matter and content
• Comfortable and effective working and managing across different business units, functions and teams
• Able to work within ambiguity and respond quickly to changes in internal and external environment without losing momentum or sight of overall objectives
• Holds themselves and the teams accountable for delivering objectives and business targets
• A self starter with curious mindset; able to find the answers to questions through their network and then set direction
• Technical project management qualification (Prince 2 / AMP) or experience in complex project / program management in a large retail or consumer business.

Everyone's Welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're 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.

#LI-CA1 #LI-Hybrid

About Us

M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That's why we're revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There's never been a better time to be part of our team.

Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact. We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process and we are happy to talk smart/flexible working.

About the Team

Marks and Spencer is a unique British heritage brand with a history of 'firsts' and we enjoy the fact that everything we do has the potential to impact and delight over 29 million customers daily.

Our International business is now being invested in and the results are starting to show as we outgrow competitors. M&S has a significant International presence: 433 wholly owned, jointly owned or franchised stores in 56 territories across Europe, Asia and Middle East and have online sites in over 100 markets.

We have a team in place who share some impressive International experience and have created a clear strategy which will deliver ambitious goals. We have the benefits of being a smaller team, we've removed unnecessary rules and we want entrepreneurial thinking. There is a lot to do and we'd like your expertise.