Category Assistant - Toys (12 month fixed term contract)

Internal use only - Grade H

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. We’re just as passionate about helping our people get more out of life too; building careers with real growth, a sense of purpose, belonging and wellbeing.

About the team

Category Assistant - Toys (12 month fixed term contract)

As a Category Assistant at Very, you will have a good level of responsibility and it is a great opportunity if you are looking for development with brand communication and category management.

You will get the opportunity to work with some our biggest partner brands such as Lego and Mattel, as well as working with different product types across the Category.

About the role

This role will be suitable for someone who has previous category experience. 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!

Relationship building is essential as strong relationships will be required within the immediate team, across the business and with external suppliers. You will work closely with the immediate team (Senior Category Manager, Junior Category Managers, Forecasting & Stock Manager and Category Admin Assistant) to ensure fully aligned across brands and working towards the category's strategy

Working cross functionally, the role requires strong engagement and influence with Trading, Marketing, Supply Chain, Pricing and Commercial, in order to support the Category in delivering category objectives and meeting the daily demands of the category.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage relationships with key brands, 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 FSM (forecast and stock manager) to ensure the forecast reflects promotional plans to maximise availability and stock efficiency.

About you

• Strong experience with MS Excel.
• Experience within a 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.

Some of our benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working model
• Inclusive culture and environment, check out our Glassdoor reviews
• £250 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
• 27 days holiday + bank holidays
• Udemy learning access
• Bonus potential (performance and business-related)
• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk

• Matched pension up to 6%
• 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 will be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS, Right to Work checks and if a specific requirement of your role a DBS (criminal records) check. Should your application progress we require you to let the team know if there is anything you need to disclose in relation to any of these checks prior to them being undertaken, including any unspent criminal convictions.

What happens next?

Our talent acquisition team will be in touch if you’re successful so keep an eye on your emails! We’ll arrange a short call to learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you have. If it feels like we’re a good match, we’ll share your CV with the hiring manager to review. Our interview process is tailored to each role and can be in-person or held remotely.

You can expect a two-stage interview process for this position:

First Stage - a 30 minute initial call with the hiring team to find out more about you and for you to learn about life at The Very Group.

Second Stage - A 1 hour final stage face to face interview with the Hiring Team.

As an inclusive employer please do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

If you'd like to know more about our interviews, you can find out here.

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.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.