Merchandising Assistant

About the role- Are you passionate about a career in Merchandising?

- Do you want to work for an iconic brand across Beauty Home, Fashion and Technology?

- Are you great at analysing data and building relationships?

If so, this could be the role for you.

You will be joining an experienced team of Merchandising Partners in the John Lewis Commercial team who are responsible for the management of millions of pounds worth of stock each week, across all product categories.  It’s a fast-paced environment with seasonal ebbs and flows and you will be provided with all the tools and support you need to succeed.

You will mainly be working with one product category and building relationships with those internal teams and external suppliers. You will have an active say in the way we operate, performing daily analysis around key operational areas (including stock flow and supplier availability) and proposing actions to support Trading activity.

At a glance

• This is a hybrid working role. The normal place of work for this role is our London Central Office in Pimlico. The expectation is a minimum of 2 consecutive days per week in the office, core days are Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday as team collaboration is critical in this role 

• Expected salary - up to £28,500

• As well as permanent and fixed term opportunities

• The application process will include uploading your CV, answering some application questions and completion of a numerical test

• Interviews are planned to take place virtually between 27th January 2025 - 31st January 2025

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Using various systems to run and create reports, in order to conduct analysis of sales and stock levels

• Maintaining and adjusting forecasts at a product level using insight and analysis in order to allocate stock to shops & Online to support promotions, marketing campaigns and new season launches

• Building effective relationships with internal teams (Merchandisers, Buyers, Supply Chain, Product Category Teams) and external suppliers in order to support the profitability of the category

• Raising orders with suppliers based on product level forecasts, moving orders to drive availability and chasing late or missing orders

• Maximising availability and minimising out of stocks across all channels (shops and Online) and identifying opportunities to drive trade 

Essential skills you’ll need 

• An analytical mindset, with experience of analysing data and using the facts to make recommendations

• The ability to build strong relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, working collaboratively to benefit the customers and the business

• An understanding of the importance of making well informed decisions that support key business objectives

• Experience of working in an agile way, with the ability to work in a high pressured environment and prioritise workloads effectively

Desirable skills 

• Accuracy and good attention to detail 

• Proactive and use initiative, with a focus on continuous improvement 

• An understanding of the John Lewis Partnership and the wider retail industry 

• Advanced knowledge of either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel would be an advantage

Internal Use Only:

#LI-HYBRID

#LI-HEADOFFICE

#LI-MG1

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. If required, you’ll find out more about vetting throughout the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays.

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.