Head of Pet Accessories Category (12‑Month FTC)

Vets for Pets; England; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working (3 office days per week

12-month fixed-term contract

Job summary

Pets at Home is seeking an experienced Head of Category - Accessories & Specialist Pet on a 12-month fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave. You will own the category P&L, lead a team of buyers and designers, and shape the future of our pet accessory range across stores and online, with hybrid working at the Handforth Support Office.

You'll drive strategy, negotiate with suppliers, partner with cross-functional teams, and bring trends to life through innovative, own-brand products that

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading large-scale retail buying categories.
• Strong commercial acumen with ownership of substantial P&L responsibility.
• A passion for identifying and translating consumer trends into successful product ranges.
• Experience of product innovation, sourcing and own-brand development, ideally including working with a sourcing office.
• Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Proven people leadership experience with the ability to coach, inspire and develop teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the confidence to influence at senior levels and manage change across the business.
• Experience working across Retail, Marketing, eCommerce and Supply functions.

Responsibilities

• Developing and delivering the category strategy across Accessories.
• Owning sales, profit and margin performance, identifying opportunities for growth and optimisation.
• Driving innovation, NPD and own-brand development to keep our ranges fresh and market-leading.
• Deliver a trade plan that entices our customers and delivers sustainably.
• Leading supplier relationships and commercial negotiations to deliver business targets.
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to maximise category performance across stores and digital channels.
• Using customer, market and competitor insights to shape future category direction.
• Inspiring, coaching and developing a high-performing Buying and Design team.
• Championing transformation initiatives that improve agility, efficiency and customer outcomes.

Job description

Pets at Home is seeking an experienced Head of Category - Accessories & Specialist Pet on a 12-month fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave. You will own the category P&L, lead a team of buyers and designers, and shape the future of our pet accessory range across stores and online, with hybrid working at the Handforth Support Office.

You'll drive strategy, negotiate with suppliers, partner with cross-functional teams, and bring trends to life through innovative, own-brand products that