Trade Executive

DEBENHAMS GROUP; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Debenhams Group is seeking an experienced Ecommerce Trading Lead to drive the commercial engine across Marketplace, Fashion Brands, Beauty, and Premium Brands. You will coordinate trading activity, align cross-functional teams, and optimize campaigns to grow UK trading performance and expand internationally.

As the commercial heartbeat of the business, you will manage promotional calendars, monitor KPIs, and ensure consistent trading standards across divisions while protecting margins and brand

Qualifications

• Significant experience in ecommerce trading, merchandising, or commercial leadership roles.
• Proven track record of delivering sales and profit growth in a fast-paced online retail environment.
• Experience managing multiple categories, brands, or business units simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of ecommerce KPIs, customer behaviour, promotional strategy, and digital retail performance drivers.

Responsibilities

• Support in executing the trading strategy across all business divisions.
• Supports the Trading Manager to drive sales, ensuring that traffic, conversion, retention, and spend come together in a predictable, profitable system.
• Regularly review competition and sharing with the team.
• Regularly report on trading performance and suggest further optimisations to fuel Debenhams growth.
• Coordinate promotional activity to maximise commercial impact while protecting margin and brand positioning.
• Build the trading calendar with input from business units, to ensure consistency across site and comms.
• Ensure consistent trading standards and best practices across all divisions.
• Ensure team alignment - working between trading, finance, marketing, Ecommerce, Paid Media, CRM, and merchandising teams.
• Supports the departments for key retail events including seasonal campaigns, peak trading periods, and brand-led activations.
• Support the Trading Manager to evaluate campaign performance and continuously optimise future activity.
• Champion data-driven decision making across the organisation.
• Ensuring the business-as-usual trade objectives are met and embracing new growth business projects.

Skills

Ecommerce trading

Merchandising leadership

Cross-functional leadership

KPIs & analytics

Promotional strategy

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Performance reviews

Job description

At Debenhams Group, we are on a journey of transformation, revitalising our brand, culture, and connection with colleagues and customers alike. In a fast-changing retail environment, effective and authentic communication is vital to building trust, aligning our teams, and amplifying the impact of our work across internal and external audiences.

Our vision is to be the great British digital department store and make our mark on the international market. We strive to become the number one destination for fashion, beauty, and home. Our growing marketplace proposition plays a crucial role in fulfilling our vision. That's why we need you. The most exciting thing is that we're just getting started! Join us in shaping the future of fashion, beauty, and home retailing - together, we'll redefine the shopping experience for generations to come.

Your Role

The Debenhams Trading Team are responsible for building, leading and scaling the commercial and growth engine on Debenhams and the Debenhams brands. This role supports the weekly trading performance of the business - ensuring that traffic, conversion, retention and spend come together in a predictable, profitable system.

Acting as the central coordination point for all trading activity, this role supports the Trading Manager with the planning and delivery of the promotional calendar, trading cadence, and performance reviews across four key divisions: Marketplace, Fashion Brands, Beauty, and Premium Brands. Whilst growing other revenue streams such as Outlet and International markets.

This role also supports the Trading Manager in aligning cross function communication and ensuring that trading analysis is shared across the Debenhams business, and that all performance channels, ecommerce and other touch points are aligned.

The role takes a customer-first approach, to ensure that all trading priorities align to grow the UK and scale internationally.

What you'll be doing

• Support in executing the trading strategy across all business divisions.
• Supports the Trading Manager to drive sales, ensuring that traffic, conversion, retention, and spend come together in a predictable, profitable system.
• Regularly review competition and sharing with the team.
• Regularly report on trading performance and suggest further optimisations to fuel Debenhams growth.
• Coordinate promotional activity to maximise commercial impact while protecting margin and brand positioning.
• Build the trading calendar with input from business units, to ensure consistency across site and comms.
• Ensure consistent trading standards and best practices across all divisions.
• Ensure team alignment - working between trading, finance, marketing, Ecommerce, Paid Media, CRM, and merchandising teams.
• Supports the departments for key retail events including seasonal campaigns, peak trading periods, and brand-led activations.
• Support the Trading Manager to evaluate campaign performance and continuously optimise future activity.
• Champion data-driven decision making across the organisation.
• Ensuring the business-as-usual trade objectives are met and embracing new growth business projects.

Your Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Significant experience in ecommerce trading, merchandising, or commercial leadership roles.
• Proven track record of delivering sales and profit growth in a fast-paced online retail environment.
• Experience managing multiple categories, brands, or business units simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of ecommerce KPIs, customer behaviour, promotional strategy, and digital retail performance drivers.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and commercial decision-making skills.
• Strong leadership and people management experience.
• Experience managing large-scale promotional events and peak trading periods.

This role serves as the commercial heartbeat of the business, ensuring all divisions are aligned behind a cohesive trading strategy that delivers sustainable growth and exceptional customer outcomes

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