Assistant MerchandiserHead Office

Role Title: Assistant Merchandiser

Job Purpose:

As an Assistant Merchandiser, your role is to assist in planning and delivering a commercial product offer that meets customer and market needs, all while maximizing profitability. You’ll be responsible for the administration on the department and the management of stock, critical path timelines, and supplier relationships. Additionally, you'll step in for the Merchandiser or Junior Merchandiser as needed, providing support to ensure smooth operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Range Management & Planning:
  • Trade Plan Support: Assist the Merchandiser in delivering a customer-focused trade plan. Input into department strategy, including retail and online.
  • Delivery Date Management: Update the systems with the correct delivery dates and shipment modes.
  • Admin Management: Complete all merchandising administrative tasks related to ordering and the intake of stock from suppliers, aware of priorities in terms of lead time.
  • Critical Path Management: Work with the Assistant Buyer to ensure all product milestones are met on time. Address any delays and communicate impacts to the team via regular critical path meetings.
  • Forecasting: Following ranking with the team, plan quantities by line for area of responsibility. Review spend position and pareto curves with the Merchandiser.
  • Line Cards: Accurately re forecast line cards, proposing re buys and cancellations. Review future buys at size level and amend booked quantities if critical path allows.

• Supplier & Sourcing:
  • Supplier Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, focusing on effective communication.
  • Supplier Coordination: Collaborate with in country offices (e.g., CSS Far East)
• Trade Performance & Analysis:
  • Monday Trade: Analyse and interpret Monday trade reports at channel level. Review best and worst-selling products weekly with buying, present findings to the team with actionable recommendations.
  • Range Build & Selection Support: Produce accurate size analysis to assist the Merchandiser in decision making for future ranges. Can produce and present a section of the selection pack.
• Cross-Department Collaboration:
  • Team Engagement: Work closely with Buying, Design, Retail, and Online teams to ensure seamless operations.
• Professional Development & Communication:
  • Ongoing Learning: Actively pursue personal and professional development opportunities through internal training and external courses.
  • Effective Communication: Build strong relationships with team members, stakeholders, and suppliers, sharing key insights and best practices to improve department performance.

Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Product Availability & Launch Timeliness:
  • Ensure timely delivery of products, meeting critical deadlines for product launches, and ensuring all items are available for customers both online and in-store.
• Sales & Profitability:
  • Support the Merchandiser in achieving financial targets by ensuring the right products are available at the right time and place to drive sales.
  • Understand markdown performance and contribute to actions to improve profitability.
• Teamwork & Collaboration:
  • Drive cross-functional collaboration to ensure products meet the overall brand DNA and objectives.
  • Actively contribute to the team’s success by being a role model for the company’s values and work as a team.

Skills & Experience:

• Organisational Skills: Strong administration and organisational abilities, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently and meet deadlines.
• Product Passion: An interest in fashion, and a desire to learn more about the product life cycle.
• Teamwork: Ability to work effectively within a team, maintaining strong communication with both internal and external partners.
• Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to problem-solving with a "can-do" attitude, willing to take initiative and seek solutions.
• Strong analytical Skills: Can interpret data with ease and spot opportunities.

Growth & Development:

• Attend required training sessions and seek out additional development opportunities relevant to the merchandising role.
• Take ownership of your personal development, seeking feedback and participating in regular reviews to track your progress.

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

• Discretionary company bonus

• Company pension up to 7% matched

• 15% colleague discount in store and online

• Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.

• Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated

• Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves