Commercial

Buying

The key aim of buying is to develop a balanced, commercial and profitable range which meets the needs and aspirations of our customers globally. They are also responsible for maximising trading performance to deliver sales and profit targets for the business.

For these roles, you'll need excellent interpersonal and communications skills and an excellent understanding of products trends. Coupled with good numeracy skills and the ability to demonstrate productive relationships not only with suppliers, but also with our merchandising, design, technology product marketing and sourcing teams.

Merchandising

The key aim of merchandising is to create and implement the department(s) agreed strategy which meets the needs and aspirations of our customers, whilst managing all financial parameters to drive sales and profit for the business.

Keeping our multi-channel business stocked with the right product in the right place at the right time is a challenging and rewarding career. As a part of the merchandising team you will work closely with buying, design, technology and sourcing to ensure that our products arrive safely and on time from our suppliers and manufacturers.

You will need enhanced analytical skills and be confident in demonstrating your sound commercial judgement to maximize the performance and profitability of our ranges.

Product Marketing

The role of our product marketing team is to communicate our products to our customers, ensuring that all marketing activity is planned and co-ordinated in line with our brand principles.

We also ensure that our valuable customer insight is used to develop marketing initiatives that are tailored to our customers, and communicated in a cohesive manner across our multi-channels and product categories.

Our Product marketing team work closely with our buying, merchandising, and retail teams.

Design

Our design team are the "creative hub" of our business and design product ranges that meet the needs and aspirations of our customers globally.

They work closely with the buying, technology, and sourcing teams in developing products across all of our categories.

Technology

The technology team work closely with our suppliers and manufacturers to ensure that our products consistently meet the required quality standards. They play a key role with our buying, sourcing and design teams in ensuring that all the technical aspects of our products are considered from design through production stage, and ultimately to our customers.

Graduates

We have graduate opportunities within our buying and merchandising divisions, and are keen to attract high calibre graduates who want to develop their career in these areas.

Your skills, and experience is rewarded as you progress through each of the levels of within the career development framework, and you are financially rewarded for your progress.

Support

Finance

This key support function ensures that Mothercare's financial reporting, analysis and controls are appropriate and effective, enabling key commercial decisions to support the business growth strategy. Our channels are supported by individual teams within the Finance department. Other key areas include financial planning, stock accounting, accounts receivable and payble, financial and management accounts, central cost accounting, and tax and treasury.

As a member of the finance team you will work closely with stores and other Head Office departments, specifically Buying, Merchandising and Replenishment. You will be someone who wants to be at the heart of the Mothercare business, be keenly interested in financial and commercial issues, and interested in creating shareholder value by being part of Mothercare's future global growth.

IT

Our IT team purchases, develops and implements IT solutions to meet the business growth plans as well as providing technical support across all channels, and to our overseas offices.

Besides the pure technical aspects of IT, Business Analysis, Project and Programme Management also fall within IT's remit. This involves understanding business requirements and issues, guiding and advising users on potential solutions to meet these requirements and then managing the design, creation, testing and Go Live of the finished article into the business. This usually involves managing multiple non IT related work streams.

We also ensure there are appropriate service delivery agreements in place both internally and externally to meet the requirements of our rapidly changing global business.

Central Retail Operations

Our Central Retail Operations team are a key interface between our buying, merchandising, marketing and support departments and our stores. As well as managing the day-to-day communications across our UK stores via our industry leading intranet, they advise and challenge the departments to ensure that our stores are provided with the best possible support.

The Central Retail Operations teams cover several key operational aspects of our business including store development, visual merchandising, store communications, profit protection, and the development of our concession partnerships such as Clarks and Olan Mills photography.

Ultimately, their role is to provide exceptional service to our store management teams to enable them to focus on providing excellence in customer service and selling.

Supply Chain

Mothercare's supply chain team are accountable for making sure that the right products are moved at the right time to the right places - our UK stores, International franchisees and our internet customers - at the lowest possible cost. This includes working with the central buying and merchandising functions to plan what is needed where and when, and managing operations across the world to make it all happen. In addition, the team work closely with our product suppliers to make sure they bring in the goods when we need them. And finally, the team also focus on the future - developing the supply chain to support the ever growing business and to continue to drive costs out of the business.

Property

Our property team are responsible for Mothercare's store portfolio, which involves negotiating commercial leases, identifying suitable sites for new stores, as well as ensuring that our retail properties are maintained. They also are responsible for store refurbishment and new fixture development. They also assist our International division with store layouts for our franchise partners.

HR

Our HR team encompasses recruitment, employee relations, training and development and reward. They work in partnership with all areas of the business, both in stores and the business functions at our Watford office to support the business in delivering our growth strategy.