As Head of Curated Merchants you will lead our European Curation Strategy & Team. Leading a team of 5-10 Merchants you will develop, execute and drive assortment strategies across all categories for our UK Catalogue. Your ranges will become “Wayfair Verified" (Wayfair’s super set of products that capture our highest % of revenue). You and your team will influence how curated product ranges come to life across all Wayfair marketing channels (print, digital and social), ensuring accurate product representation and appropriate shelf placement. You will foster strong cross functional relationships to ensure all strategies and goals are achieved, acting as the representative of the customer in strategic decisions on product placement. As the Head of Curated Merchants you will be responsible for partnering with Brand Management, Category Management, Marketing, Analytics & Operations, and external suppliers to ensure the strategic vision is executed all the way to the customer. Leveraging data-driven qualitative and quantitative insights, you'll make a direct impact on overall sales, Wayfair share gains, and empower customers to create a home just right for them. The Head of Curated Merchants will be a founding member as we forge our path into omnichannel retail in Europe.
What you'll do on any given day as a Head of Curated Merchants:
Leaning on your prior experience, you will build and refine curation processes, working with your team to deliver against our ambitious goals. You will motivate your team to gain a deep understanding of the competitive market for each of their categories, which enables them to build cohesive ranges perfect for the Wayfair customer. You and your team will analyze, curate, and maintain category assortment strategies for "Wayfair Verified," developing and implementing shelf space plans, optimizing product placement for maximum visibility and sales, and actively managing and iterating our product offering. Ultimately, you will decide which products will be highlighted and amplified across all marketing channels with crisp business justification and robust alignment with key stakeholders. Cultivate and lead collaborative relationships with cross-functional partners in Category Management, Marketing, Analytics, and Creative to strategically align on and execute the European catalogue vision. You will ensure your curation offers competitive products and prices. You will know our customer’s needs better than anyone else and are constantly thinking about what tomorrow’s best sellers will be to continue to surprise and delight our target market.
Your success requires leadership, stakeholder ownership, analytical mindset, collaboration, influence, and a tenacious spirit. You'll use your executive presence to work with and influence stakeholders at all levels and navigate interesting, complex assortment challenges. Drive performance through strategic target setting and rigorous analysis, owning and presenting performance results through regularly monitoring assortment health through various KPIs and OKRs.
What You’ll Do:
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of 5-10 Merchants to deliver against your ambitious goals to transform our curation strategy
- Drive team motivation with clear goals and targets, monitoring performance and leveraging your cross-functional relationships to remove roadblocks for your team.
- Drive performance through strategic target setting and rigorous analysis, owning and responsible for sharing progress updates with the broader team.
- Strategically develop and optimize category assortment strategies, including developing and implementing shelf space plans and actively selecting, developing, and iterating on the product offering.
- Identify opportunities for category growth, utilizing competitive analysis, trend research, and internal performance monitoring as data points.
- Partner closely with Category Management, Suppliers, Marketing, Analytics, and Brand Management to determine how best to bring the selection to life.
- Maintain a close pulse on trends and customer needs to identify new assortment opportunities. Partner with category management and suppliers when curating the line plan to find products that deliver compelling newness and tomorrow’s best sellers.
- Own the financial outcomes for the performance of the products you placed on the premium shelf spaces. Regularly assess performance and revise assortment and shelf space allocation strategy as needed.
- Domestic Travel [1-4x / month] to our QC & Video Studio operation to ensure product vision is executed accurately
- International Travel [1-5x / year] Attend industry trade shows relevant to your categories to partner with strategic suppliers and further optimize our catalog.
Who You Are:
- 7+ years experience within a retail and/or omni-channel buying / merchandising role. Demonstrated personal development trajectory with increased scope, P&L and team responsibility
- Experience buying trend-driven categories, curating assortments from a wide range of vendors and classifications, and developing compelling assortment presentations are all highly preferred.
- 5+ years of experience managing people
- Strong ability to analyze data and think critically, understand and interpret performance trends, and apply learnings to the business
- Strong creative sense, elevated taste level, and love of product. A genuine passion for industry trends, product design, and home decorating is a plus.
- Excellent communication/persuasion skills and ability to influence internal and external stakeholders to align behind and execute against a common goal
- Capable of thriving in a high-growth environment in which defining clarity amidst ambiguity and operating in “scrappy start-up building mode” are everyday activities. Demonstrated experience building and implementing new processes and hiring/staffing new teams are a plus.
- Self-starter motivated by the potential to define a creative and strategic vision and have an outsized impact within a team and company
- Ability to work from Wayfair’s London office 3 days per week, Wayfair’s Verified Studio 1 day per week in Birmingham & 1 day a week per week remote. Travel for competitor diligence & trade shows.
About Wayfair Inc.
Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.
No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.
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