Junior Category Merchandiser

Founded over 20 years ago by three entrepreneurialwomen with a passion for beautiful, practical and comfortable homes, OKA ismore than a furniture and homeware retailer: it is a love affair with livingwell.

We inspire people to confidently create a homethat reflects their personality, a space where nothing should be too preciousor perfect to be enjoyed with family and friends. British-born, today wehave 13 stores across the UK and are excited tohave recently opened our third store in the US an established InteriorDesign and Trade business, a mail-order service and a thriving website.

We are currently looking to recruit a Junior CategoryMerchandiser to support our Merchandising Team, based at our Didcot office in Oxfordshire.

We operate a hybrid working model: three or more days from theoffice, the remainder of the week from home.

ABOUT US

We know the best work is done by people who enjoy their jobs, sowe create a fun and nurturing environment where everyone feels valued and is ableto thrive. We are looking for an agile and proactive Junior CategoryMerchandiser with a positive attitude and entrepreneurial spirit who can helpus nurture this company culture.

Reporting directly to the Merchandising Manager, the JuniorCategory Merchandiser is responsible for planning and trading the productranges, across the UK & USA markets, to achieve maximum sales and profitgrowth whilst keeping within agreed stock and cost targets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Commerciality
- To be aware of the OKAbrand and where it sits in both the UK & USA markets
- To gain knowledge on ourcustomer profile
- To track competitorproduct ranges, pricing and promotional tactics
- Visit OKA stores as andwhen the opportunity arises
- Strategy & PreSeason
- In line with the rest ofthe Merchandising team, provides pre-season planning and analysis to helpsupport the financial budgeting and forecasting process by channel
- Provides regular andrelevant feedback regarding product/inventory issues and opportunities withinthe range
- To understanddepartmental strategy and how that fits into the OKA Pillars
- To collate informationand analysis prior to range review meetings to provide insight to Merchandising& Product Development Team
- To update range plans toensure accurate and up to date information at all times to share with the widerbusiness
- To work closely withproduct development teams to ensure all new products are following thespecified critical path to launch on time
- To assist with catalogueand image enquiries
- To assist the wider teamwith accurate data management across both markets to ensure complete accuracy
- Trading & In Season
- To assist in all aspectsof trading the department, to include:

- Running and updatingMonday morning reports
- Setting up,maintaining/updating the linecards and proposing actions to MerchandisingManager
- Updating the WSSI tospecified time frames
- Ad hoc analysis as andwhen required by wider business
- To maintaincommunication with retail team & allocation team to ensure any potentialissues are resolved
- To assist with preparingand setting up markdown proposals across the key sale periods
- To review stock andinventory position and make recommendations to pull forward/push back intake
- To work proactively toprovide the wider business with accurate and up to date information at alltimes
- Systems
- To use appropriate ITsystems and software packages to drive delivery of the critical path
- To work with the rest ofthe Merchandising team to ensure all products are attributed correctly
- To work with SupplyChain and Product Development team to ensure system accuracy and credibility
- To manage the keyadministration activities of the dept

ABOUT YOU
- A creative, problem-solvingspirit
- Passion for the OKAbrand
- Ability to work within achanging environment
- Should be aligned withOka brand values and a strong team player

OUR BENEFITS PACKAGE
- 33 days holiday(including bank holiday entitlement), plus Length of Service increases
- Day off for yourbirthday
- BUPA Health CashPlan
- Generous staffdiscount: 45% rising to 65% following 1 year of service
- EnhancedMaternity Pay
- EmployeeAssistance Programme
- Eligibility for adiscretionary company Bonus Scheme
- Discounts on60+ UK retailers via My OKA benefits platform
- Plus a suite ofadditional employee benefits including Company pension scheme, life assurance cover,free eye tests, cycle to work scheme, interest free travel loans, socialevents, online wellbeing centre and more.