Category Assistant

**About us.***:
We are The Very Group, and we're here to help families get more out of life. We know that our customers work hard for their families and have a lot to balance in their busy lives. That's why we combine amazing brands and products with flexible payment options on Very.co.uk to help them say yes to the things they love when they need them most.

**About the team.**:
I have an exciting** 6 month FTC **Category Assistant role **working on Toys**. **This roles will involve working within a high growth strategic category. This is a permanent role and is available due to an internal move. As a CA in Toys you will have a great deal of responsibility and its a great opportunity if you are looking for development. You will be responsible for owning a supplier or product type.

Relationship building is essential as strong relationships will be required within the immediate team, across the business and with external suppliers.
- Work closely with the immediate team (Category Manager, FSP and Category Assistants) to ensure fully aligned across brands and working towards the category’s strategy
- Work cross functionally having strong engagement and influence with Trading, Marketing, Supply Chain, Pricing and Commercial
- Regular communication with brands such as Lego, Hasbro and Mattel around performance, upcoming opportunities, product launches and deal negotiation

**About the role.***:
We have an exciting **6 month fixed term contract** Category Assistant opportunity. After what has been a fantastic year of trading, we have a strategy plan of continued growth.

You will also get the opportunity to work with some our our biggest partner brands such as Lego, Hasbro and Mattel as well as working with various product types. The role comes with a great development opportunity and you will get the chance to own a supplier or product type.

This role will be suitable for someone who has previous category experience and a preference in Merchandising due to the analytical nature of the category. Our Category Assistant roles allow you to further develop your skills, as you are responsible for dual specialisms of buying and merchandising. It's a great opportunity to sharpen up your trading skills and hone your commercial knowledge along the way too

You will support the Category in delivering category objectives and meeting the daily demands of the category.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Manage relationships with key Toys brands such as Mattel, Lego and MGA, building strong relationships to maximise commercial opportunities
- Review performance of category, understand drivers of performance and be able to articulate this well
- Understand KPIs and their drivers and take action to support delivery of budgets and quarterly plan
- Managing weekly forecasts & intake plans to maximise availability of the range throughout the season
- Own the end-to-end product set up process
- Use of pricing tools daily to ensure we’re competitive vs the market, make pricing decisions and input supplier funding
- Maintain an awareness of the market, keeping track of competitor activity and actively looking for ways to drive overall category trading performance
- Work closely with the category FSP (forecast and stock planner) to ensure the forecast reflects promotional plans to maximise availability and stock efficiency

**EXPERIENCE REQUIRED**:

- Strong experience with MS Excel
- Experience within a Merchandising or Analytical head office role is desirable
- Creative, passionate and innovative
- Positive, driven and brings energy to the role
- Ability to work under pressure and in a fast-paced environment
- Champions what is right for the business, team and customer

**Our benefits.**:

- Flexible hybrid working model
- £250 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
- 27 days holiday + bank holidays
- Up to 25% discount on our Very.co.uk
- Private pension matched at 6%
- Bonus potential (performance and business related)
- More benefits can be found on our career site

**How to apply**:
Please note that the talent acquisition team are managing this vacancy directly, and if successful in securing this role, you may be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS and CRB check.

**What happens next?**

**Equal opportunities**

We’re an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.