Merchandising Specialist

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Merchandiser to join our successful Merchandising team at DCK Group in our Billericay office.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with Buying, Design, and Host teams to define and develop the vision and strategy of the brand, identifying new initiatives and planning them in line with the critical path.
• Manage critical path timelines and key milestone deadlines to ensure they are achieved, prioritizing workload in line with brand priorities and maintaining regular and effective communication with the Merchandise Manager.
• Drive the development of Building Blocks and Strategy for the department forward with a profitability focus, aligning with DCK and Host Strategy where appropriate.
• Continuously review the P&L for the department and take action to highlight the full potential of the brand, proposing steps to achieve this using analytics to propose a solution.
• Use available systems to establish clear and profitable Assortment Plans, along with BEVs and phasing, balancing newness, consolidated lines, and sell-through, taking into account sales and profit density.
• Sign off strategy and budgets with the Senior team.
• Ensure accurate and timely pre-season planning based on the strategy and agreed targets, maximizing opportunities and mitigating risk, with a concise summary and action plan relayed to the business.
• Quantify Building Blocks through data and articulate them to the business with confidence.
• Complete Seasonal Planning, including Assortment Planning/Option Planning and Range Planning, thoroughly to a high standard, showing a clear understanding of how options, newness, and grading can be optimized to grow profitability.
• Maximize Space/Options at all times, highlighting risks and opportunities with clear action points to support.
• Manage the Seasonal OTB, devising and agreeing the option count and phasing in line with the Assortment Plan, and communicate to the Buying Team within deadline, bringing initiatives to the business and delivering them.
• Set Stock requirements to achieve sales and profit plans, by Total and Branch stocks, FP and MD, top down and bottom up within agreed timeframes.
• Align Stock levels with DCK & Host strategy, presenting opportunities and risks alongside measurable actions, and maintaining Stock within plan parameters and in line with Terminal Stock Targets, providing clear communication to the Merchandise Manager.
• Undertake accurate in-season forecasting to reflect current trading conditions, highlighting risks and opportunities, and feeding into the planner.
• Review OTB/OTC requirements, reacting to reforecasts and current trading while keeping within Stock requirements.
• Highlight margin risks to the business with Buying, suggesting actions to bring back to plan.
• Gather information from Hosts, such as footfall, customer insights, changes in their business that would impact performance, and action required changes.
• Identify opportunities and use analytics to solve, including optimization of options, ranging, price, stores, and VM, driving the business through data and analysis to lead Buying and Partner decisions.
• Rforecast sales, stock, intake, and markdown in the WSSI and line cards in readiness for WSSI review.
• Manage the team, ensuring clear priorities and consistent ways of working.
• Explore all opportunities to drive the success of the team using data and analytics tools.
• Encourage a culture of transparency, accessibility, regularity, and clear direction.
• Coach and guide team members, continually providing clear and transparent feedback in terms of their performance.
• Lead by example, exerting and displaying behaviours aligned to DCK's DNA values.
• Conduct regular 1-2-1s with direct reports.
• Help the team see the 'bigger picture.'
• Develop the team to succeed in their roles and prepare for future roles.

Requirements

• Exceptional analytical abilities and clarity of thought.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Vision, initiative, and creativity.
• Great communication skills.
• Drive to deliver results.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate competently and clearly.
• Strong organisational and task management skills, demonstrating agility with the ability to prioritise and work in a fast-moving, reactive business with multiple deadlines resulting in effective delivery.
• Act with trust and integrity.
• Respect and be respected by peers, building strong relationships within wider functions.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and look for opportunities to better oneself.

Why Choose DCK?

• Opportunity to work for a leading independent global fashion business.
• Be part of a welcoming, friendly business that promotes learning and development from day one.
• Work-from-home opportunities and flexible working hours, to help you develop a healthy work-life balance.
• Early finish every Friday.
• Heavily staff-discounted fashion and jewellery allowance.
• 25 days holiday (+bank holidays) and the ability to buy 5 more days.
• Free parking.
• Free refreshments and fruit with lunch on us once a week.
• Community Group Social Events.
• Plus, many more additional benefits.