Job Description

We have an exciting brand new opportunity to join our Travel Merchandising team. The Merchandising Coordinator will support the Merchandising Director and Travel merchandising team in the planning and co-ordination of cross-category merchandising activity and cross functional activity.  You will become the day to day interface for other areas of the business for planning seasonal events, query investigation and resolution and will be involved in cross functional trials and projects where merchandising input is required in conjunction with the lead Merchandising Controller.
Within the Merchandising team you will develop and maintain a KPI dashboard and support strategic initiatives e.g. central replenishment.
This role would be ideal for someone wanting to broaden their knowledge of supply chain, merchandising and the business in general as it will interface with several internal and external teams

Main Tasks and Responsibilities
* Budget & Forecasting process – support the stock budgeting process by creating and managing the stock budget templates, prepare monthly Exec stock updates for review by the Merchandising Director  
* Performance Reporting – Create a stock and availability performance dashboard in conjunction with the Merchandising Director, update and develop the dashboard and highlight areas of opportunity to improve performance
* Store operations interface – RBM and key store stock and delivery query investigation and resolution, DC claims monitoring and analysis  
* Planning Co-ordination – working with the merchandising team, DC, network planning team, commercial planning and store operations to plan stock for seasonal events including supporting the forecasting process, capturing additional ordering requirements and ensuring adherence to planning timelines  
* Consolidation centre development and liaison – attend quarterly senior team meetings with key consolidation centres with the Merchandising Director and ensure that supply chain / merchandising actions are completed in a timely manner.  Be the day to day point of contact for consolidation centre liaison ensuring that issues are resolved quickly or escalated to increase the pace of resolution
* Supporting strategic development – work with the Merchandising Director and Merchandise Controllers on merchandising strategic projects, supporting with analysis and management of timelines.  Attend cross functional trial meetings and supporting the lead Merchandise Controller for each project 

Required Education and Experience
* Minimum of one years’ merchandising or project management experience
* Proven analytical skills, confident handling large amounts of data
* You will have previous experience of managing a critical path
* Intermediate to expert knowledge of Microsoft Excel

Required Competencies and characteristics
* Planning, organising and prioritising
* Decision-making
* Communication skills
* Critical thinking and problem solving skills 
* Influencing and building relationships
* Team work
* Resilient and adaptable

Why Join Us?
You’ll be at of the hub of an incredibly fast-moving function and you’ll be trusted to make decisions that benefit the business. It’s a serious responsibility – which will seriously motivate you. You’ll thrive on the freedom and the chance to use your skills and will be supported with plenty of training and development opportunities.
What’s more, you can expect some fab rewards, including an achievable annual bonus, 24 days’ holiday (and the option to buy more), a competitive pension, the perks of your birthday off and an early finish on Fridays, and lots more! Our London Head Office is only a five minute walk from Liverpool Street Station and close to lots of shops, bars and restaurants.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, colour, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, and basis of disability. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and encourage them in particular from individuals from under-represented groups at WHSmith. This includes women and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups

About Us
WHSmith is a leading, global travel retailer for the world’s travelling customer with a smaller business located on UK High Streets and an online presence through its websites: WHSmith.co.uk, Funkypigeon.com and Cultpens.com. Since 1792, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life.

Today, we have more than 1,700 stores in over 30 countries across the globe, including over 560 stores on UK high streets, serving millions of customers every year. Our business spans multiple formats and brands and we have clear strategies for our UK Travel, International Travel and UK High Street retail operations, joined together under one simple aim: to make every one of life's journeys better.