Marketplace Assortment Planner (Junior Buyer)

Marketplace Assortment Planner (Junior Buyer)

Summary
In the European online Buying team, we have a vision to become the leading British retailer in the EU market, creating a brilliant shopping experience that inspires and showcases the best of our brand to customers through our M&S owned and growing Marketplace channels. To deliver this vision, we need results-orientated colleagues that have a passion for our product, a strong team working ethos and a strong commercial aim to join us on our journey. We believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

What you'll do
As an International Assistant Assortment Buyer your role is key to support the team with a strong category and customer focus. Accurately selecting product ranges to the critical path that delivers to the department strategy and key margin and profit KPI's. Reviewing sales, trade performance and competitor activity in-season.
Working collaboratively as a team and with key stakeholders in online, trading and logistics teams to ensure the optimal ranges deliver sustainable sales & profit growth in our European markets.

1. Support in the delivery of key international goals & objectives for your product areas across EU Online platforms e.g. planned launch, sales, margin and operating profit to support growth targets. Collaborate with online teams to create a trading and buying plan, outlining key initiatives required to deliver the product strategy and financial targets each season.
2. Use relevant data and insight to create financial and strategic building blocks for future seasons, under the guidance of a Buyer. Supporting the Buyer with running the critical path with a strong understanding E2E from order placement to port and hand-off to supply chain.
3. Support the Buyer with defining and building a customer orientated, commercially relevant product strategy for each season that showcases quality, value and style. Selecting the most commercial ranges that embody the best of M&S and meet the needs of the European markets.
4. Demonstrate a strong commercial acumen, supporting with seasonal lessons learnt by using current trend data and understanding the EU markets and competitor clothing brands.
5. Ownership of your own ranges and have clear plans to optimise opportunities in season.
6. Review and understand sales and trade performance each week. Contribute to commercial trade response decisions e.g. stock management, promotions, markdowns, marketing and competitor activities.
7. Take accountability to identify risk and opportunity within your business area using all data available.
8. Work across teams to share and seek new ways of working, embedding in a consistent trade routine. Collaborate with marketing, online.com teams to ensure fantastic execution of our product proposition, key campaigns/planned promotions each season and our customer in Europe sees the best of the M&S brand.

Who you are

• Strong numerical, analytical, interpretive and creative problem solving skills.
• Very good understanding and proven experience of running a critical path with an affinity for product and a strong background in buying / selecting.
• Strong communication, influencing, and organisational skills with the confidence to present in trade meetings to peers and leadership teams.
• Actively demonstrating curiosity and initiative, have enthusiastic attention to detail and an ability to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
• Proactive, positive approach and ability to flourish working in a team with the ability to initiate and build strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Tech savvy with strong Excel and PowerPoint skills. Able to fully utilise relevant IT Buying, planning and reporting systems e.g. Power BI, Digital range builder, Edited and IBT.

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.