Who we are: 

Passenger is driven by a passion for escapism, connection, and the wellbeing of both people and the planet. As a fast growing brand in the outdoor sector, we create products that are 'made to roam' and embody a culture that embraces inclusivity and fosters a collaborative team environment. We’re looking for someone who shares our passion for protecting the planet while building something unique and authentic.

Overview

As the Head of Planning & Merchandising, you are the link between the creative vision and commercial reality. Reporting to the Global Buying & Merchandising Director, you will lead the global omni channel planning & merchandising strategy to drive profitable growth and optimise Passenger’s stockturn. You will lead, mentor, and scale the merchandising team, fostering a culture of data-driven excellence and cross-functional synergy.

Reports to: Global Buying & Merchandising Director

Direct Reports: Senior Merchandisers and Product Merchandisers - Womens division and Mens & Accessories division. (Dotted line from B2B Merchandiser)

Location: New Forest, UK (Hybrid/Remote with frequent HQ visits)

Key Strategic Responsibilities

• Long-Range Planning: With leadership from the B&M Director convert the three year financial plan into regional and channel category plans, setting the budgets for global category sales, margin and ASP.

  • Managing the Senior Merchandisers to filter down by category, by region within each of their divisions

  • Producing outputs to be used by Sourcing team to negotiate long term relationships with key suppliers and maximise growth in gross margin.

• Omni channel Inventory Planning: Ensuring the right inventory is in the right place for the right channel.  Working with channel owners to make sure inventory and POs are correctly allocated.

• Global category OTB Management by Division: Ownership of the Divisional and Category Open-to-Buy (OTB) budget at a regional level, ensuring stockturn is optimised in each warehouse

  • Agreeing the OTB with the B&M Director

  • Responsible for filtering down to the rest of the team

  • Responsible for where we spend OTB and signing off spend with B&M Director

• Forecasting: Rolling up product level seasonal forecast for booking greige fabric - to ensure they match the available global OTB in each category.

  • Working with the Senior Merchandisers to roll-up their divisions for newness and continuity

• Profitability Optimisation: Driving the WSSI (Weekly Stock, Sales, and Intake) process to maximize full-price sell-through and protect gross margin.

  • Highlighting issues and suggesting solutions

  • Tracking results versus plan

• Trade: Manage the trading function of the Merchandising team, using analytical reports and range plan reviews to make the right trade decisions. 

  • Moving and optimising deliveries where possible and where necessary.

• Life-Cycle Management: Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle, from initial concept volumes to terminal stock exit strategies.

  • Collating the divisional level markdown plans for sign off with B&M Director

• Commercial Framework: Partner with the PLM and Product Merchandisers to define the optimal breadth and depth of the range, ensuring the brand ethos is backed by commercial data.

  • With roll-ups and sign offs with B&M Director at each stage gate. From option planning to greige booking and final buy quantities.

• Mentorship: Act as a coach to Senior Merchandisers and Product Merchandisers, ensuring high-level strategic thinking is cascaded through the team.

  • Instilling a commercial way of thinking into each decision made

• Articulate Commercial Vision: Ability to look beyond spreadsheets and understand the lifestyle trends and global shifts affecting the outdoor apparel industry. Then how they feed into the range plan.

  • Gathering information from other experts within the business to help make the right decisions

What we offer:

We nurture and empower the whole you – mind, body, and spirit. Our rewards package is designed to fuel your passions, support your ambitions, and cultivate an environment where you can thrive. In addition to a competitive salary it includes; 

• A culture of empowerment, freedom, flexibility, and trust

• Escapism is serious business for us. We practise what we preach and connect together for quarterly in person cabin sessions and getting outside. Our HQ is in the New Forest, 5 minutes from the sea. 

• Typical Hours: 8.30am - 5.30pm 5 days a week. 

• Annual Leave: 25 days plus bank holidays + a day for your birthday

• Very generous staff discount and friends and family discount  

• Private Medical Insurance for your and your dependants 

• Enhanced pension contributions 

• Annual Volunteering Day to support causes that matter to you 

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other factors. Any applicant that believes they need reasonable accommodations to perform the duties of this role is invited to discuss this with us and let us know in your application.