Head of Merchandising - Strategic Partnerships

Department: Merchandising

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Reporting To: Sarah Eldridge

Description

Lead the commercial planning, trading performance, and operational execution of the Strategic Partnerships business across wholesale, marketplace, licence, and future franchise models. Responsible for building and delivering the financial strategy, optimising business performance, and creating scalable operational frameworks that enable profitable growth.

This role connects strategy with execution — ensuring the right plans, processes, and trading actions are in place to deliver partner growth, commercial targets, and long-term business ambitions.

Key Responsibilities
Commercial Planning & Strategy

Own and deliver the Strategic Partnerships commercial planning framework across sales, margin, stock, intake, and profitability.
Build annual, seasonal, and in-season plans aligned to partner strategies and business objectives.
Lead forecasting, budgeting, and commercial scenario planning to maximise opportunities and manage risk.
Create & track clear KPIs and performance measures across all partnership channels.

Trading & Business Performance

Lead the weekly/monthly trading rhythm, identifying risks, opportunities, and actions to optimise performance.
Own trading decisions across sales, stock, availability, margin, and partner performance.
Drive insight-led recommendations using data, customer trends, and commercial analysis.
Influence cross-functional teams to deliver trading actions at pace.

Operations & Business Enablement

Own operational excellence across Strategic Partnerships, ensuring processes are simple, scalable, and efficient.
Lead the development of tools, reporting, governance, and ways of working to support growth.
Remove operational barriers and improve speed, accuracy, and delivery.
Ensure readiness for future growth models including marketplace, licence, and franchise.

Leadership & Collaboration

Partner closely with Had of Buying to align assortment, partner plans, and commercial execution.
Influence wider teams including Supply Chain, Finance, Digital, B&M.
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team with clear ownership and accountability.

Success Measures

Delivery of revenue, margin, and profit targets.
Forecast accuracy and trading performance.
Stock efficiency and availability.
Operational improvements and scalability.
Successful execution of strategic partner plans.

Experience Required

Extensive merchandising leadership experience within a fast-paced retail or fashion environment, with deep expertise across commercial planning, forecasting, trading, stock management, and performance optimisation.
Proven experience working across marketplace, wholesale, digital, or strategic partnership models, with the ability to maximise growth through external partner relationships.
Strong commercial acumen with a proven track record of delivering revenue, margin, and profitability growth at pace across multiple channels or markets.
Experience building scalable processes, operating frameworks, and ways of working that enable rapid growth and future business expansion.
Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to use data and insight to drive decisions while engaging teams, stakeholders, and partners through change.

About Us

We’re a much-loved brand with an exciting future. Our Islanders are a diverse bunch of bright, talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions. This is what a career at River Island is like. And this is where yours starts.

This role is based at our Head Office in West London. Check us out here on a map.

What we can offer you:

💰 Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself to the latest products, and a bargain staff shop on site!

🛒 Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through the Retail Trust.

🎉 A free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant & café to fill you needs. Various social events to socialise throughout the year.

🤎 Every family is unique, we support Islanders with all different family setups enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility treatment. We also work closely with the Retail Trust to create dedicated support for all our Islanders!

💻 Flexible working, on top of payday and summer early finish Fridays.

💕 Give as you earn scheme, a ‘Giver Island’ day each year and receive matched funding.

🎓 Support with upskilling through on the job training and qualifications. A succession plan if you want to progress.

💰 A generous bonus scheme & private pension plan.

🩺 The choice to opt in for healthcare through our provider AXA.

🚗 An allowance supporting your commute to work.

☀️ 25 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays. With the added option to purchase additional holiday twice a year for whatever the need!

Keeping You Safe

At River Island we are committed to the safeguarding of all of our employees regardless of age or job role. We will fulfil our obligation under the Prevent duty which seeks to stop extremism and extremist views from materialising in our business. We promote and encourage the belief in British Values- including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. To find out more, please visit www.gov.uk.

Our Island is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise. To find out more about this interview process, check out our hiring process below.

About Us

Keeping You Safe

About River Island