Merchandise & Buying Operations Supervisor

Poltronesofa; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays 33 days incl. bank holidays

Benefits platform – discounts and more

Colleague Discount

Career progression

Enhanced parental leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Virtual GP

Salary finance scheme

Pension Scheme

Death in Service

Job summary

Poltronesofa in Sunderland is seeking a detail-focused Merchandise & Buying Operations Supervisor to join our Commercial team. You will own product data, supervise merchandising administration, and coordinate launches with cross-functional teams to ensure accurate information and timely outcomes.

You will guide stores, Digital, Marketing, and Supply Chain with reliable product knowledge, while driving process improvements and maintaining high standards across systems and channels.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary product expert, building an understanding of specifications, features, fabrics, finishes, dimensions, pricing and supplier capabilities.
• Provide product guidance to stores, Digital, Marketing, Supply Chain and Customer Service.
• Ensure product information is complete, accurate and consistent across systems and channels.
• Supervise daily merchandising administration, allocate priorities and ensure work is completed accurately and on time.
• Oversee product setup, range maintenance, pricing updates, promotions and launches.
• Coordinate launch tasks against critical paths and escalate proactively when needed.
• Apply merchandising processes and maintain standards and controls.
• Identify inefficiencies, suggest practical improvements to reduce manual work and errors.
• Maintain clear process documentation, checklists and audit controls.
• Complete regular audits of product data, pricing, attributes, specifications and launch readiness.
• Investigate discrepancies and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Coach Merchandise Administrators and Coordinators, building product knowledge and accountability.
• Work with Digital, Marketing, Retail, Supply Chain and suppliers to deliver accurate product information and launches.
• Support range reviews, pricing activity and commercial projects.
• Communicate clearly and respond promptly to queries.

Job description

Merchandise & Buying Operations Supervisor

Department: Retail Operations

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Sunderland - Customer Support Centre

Reporting To: Merchandise & Buying Operations Manager

Compensation: £30,000 / year

Description

We're looking for a highly organised, detail-focused Merchandising & Buying Operations Supervisor to join our Commercial team.

We are looking for a confident, detail-focused Merchandise Supervisor to ensure our products are accurately set up, maintained, launched and managed throughout their lifecycle. You will be the team’s go-to product expert, combining strong operational control with a practical approach to improving processes, reducing errors and delivering a consistent experience for stores, colleagues and customers.

What does the role involve?

Product ownership and expertise

• Act as the primary product expert, building a thorough understanding of specifications, features, fabrics, finishes, dimensions, pricing and supplier capabilities.
• Provide accurate product guidance to stores, Digital, Marketing, Supply Chain and Customer Service.
• Ensure product information is complete, accurate and consistent across systems and customer-facing channels.

Merchandising operations

• Supervise daily merchandising administration, allocate priorities and ensure work is completed accurately and on time.
• Oversee product setup, range maintenance, pricing updates, promotional activity and new product launches.
• Coordinate launch tasks against agreed critical paths and proactively escal…

Process management and continuous improvement

• Apply merchandising processes consistently and ensure the team follows agreed standards and controls.
• Identify inefficiencies, recurring issues and control gaps, then develop practical improvements that reduce manual work, errors and rework.
• Maintain clear process documentation, checklists, training guides and audit controls.

Quality control and team leadership

• Complete regular audits of product data, pricing, attributes, specifications and launch readiness.
• Investigate discrepancies, implement corrective actions and prevent recurring failures.
• Coach and support Merchandise Administrators and Coordinators, building product knowledge, confidence and accountability.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Work with Digital, Marketing, Retail, Supply Chain and suppliers to deliver accurate product information and successful launches.
• Support range reviews, pricing activity, promotional planning and commercial projects.
• Communicate clearly, respond promptly to queries and build trusted working relationships.

Who are we looking for?

• Experience in merchandising, buying administration, commercial operations or retail operations.
• Excellent product knowledge, or the curiosity and discipline to become a recognised product expert.
• An exceptional eye for detail and pride in maintaining accurate product, pricing and promotional information.
• A process-led mindset with the confidence to challenge existing ways of working and recommend better solutions.
• Strong organisation, prioritisation, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience working with multiple systems and high volumes of product data.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and confidence analysing information to identify gaps, risks and trends.

What’s in it for you?

• 33 days holidays including bank holidays
• Employee benefits platform – access to 100s of high street discounts and more – holiday discounts, gym discounts, cinema discounts, e-vouchers, cashback and more!
• Colleague Discount
• Career progression
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave
• Access to our dedicated Employee Assistance Programme – to give you free access to advice and information on a range of topics
• Virtual GP – Access to a GP service 24/7
• Salary finance scheme
• Pension Scheme
• Death in Service