NET-A-PORTER Director of Merchandise Planning and Trading

Role & Responsibilities

• Drive daily and weekly trading performance across sales, margin, inventory and KPIs against targets and budget
• Analyze performance drivers across categories, designers, channels and customer segments to identify risks and commercial opportunities
• Translate insights into proactive trading actions to accelerate revenue, maximize margin and manage P&L impact
• Own category and departmental sales plans and analyze sell-through and demand signals to evaluate performance gaps
• Partner with Buying to optimize investment, align assortments to customer demand and adjust buying commitments
• Own pre-season sales, margin, intake and stock plans; set open-to-buy and run in-season reforecast cycles
• Maximize stock productivity by actively managing inventory levels, intake flow and sell-through
• Proactively manage aged and slow-moving stock to mitigate inventory risk
• Recommend strategic markdown and promotional activities that protect gross margin while clearing excess inventory
• Own availability targets by category and size, optimizing stock levels to capture full sales opportunity
• Deliver clear, actionable commercial reporting that articulates performance drivers and recommended solutions
• Evaluate performance across designers, product groups, price points and geographies to identify growth drivers
• Translate customer behavior data into commercial insights that inform trading and strategy decisions
• Lead the pricing function, developing competitive pricing strategies across categories and regions
• Monitor competitor pricing and market dynamics to identify strategic risks and price elasticity opportunities
• Oversee promotional pricing and initial price architecture in partnership with Buying and Merchandising
• Work closely with Buying, Merchandising, Website Trading, Marketing and Personal Shopping teams to maximize trading moments
• Partner with Finance to ensure financial targets alignment and collaborate with Operations on stock availability
• Bring recommendations rather than simply data to weekly trading meetings
• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing team, fostering accountability and excellence
• Adapt team structure and processes to meet evolving business needs and ensure scalability and agility

Qualifications

• Significant experience in merchandising, planning, trading or commercial analytics, ideally within luxury fashion or e-commerce
• Excellent understanding of sales, margin, inventory, sell-through, intake and budget planning
• Highly numerate with strong data analysis skills
• Ability to turn complex data into simple, actionable recommendations
• Commercially curious with demonstrated capacity to identify performance improvement opportunities
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and influencing senior stakeholders
• Strong communicator who can tell the story behind the numbers
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams

Skills

Experience

Significant experience in merchandising, planning, trading, or commercial analytics, ideally within luxury fashion retail or e-commerce. Demonstrated expertise in managing sales forecasts, inventory optimization, margin management, and cross-functional commercial strategy.

Education

Not specified

Workplace

Benefits

Competitive salary, defined contribution pension, staff discount and exclusive staff sales access, private medical insurance, flexible working arrangements, and an employee benefits portal offering discounts on entertainment and leisure activities.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.