Lead Product & Performance Manager - FTC

Lead Product & Performance Manager
Reports to: Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy
Location: Chiswick (Hybrid)
Department: Merchandising & Product
Contract Type: Full-time, 12-month fixed-term contract (FTC)
Role Overview:
As Lead Product & Performance Manager, you’ll own the product portfolio across Sanderson Design Group’s six brands – shaping the range plans, budgets and commercial strategy that turn our design heritage into strong, sustainable sales performance.
Working closely with the Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy, the Design Director and colleagues across Design, Supply Chain, Finance and Marketing, you’ll make sure every collection we bring to market is right for our customers, delivered on budget and built to perform. It’s a role for someone equally comfortable setting long-term product strategy and getting into the detail of range planning and analysis – and who enjoys leading cross-functional teams towards a shared commercial goal.
About Us:
Sanderson Design Group plc is a luxury interior design house, home to six iconic brands with over 165 years of history: Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin, Zoffany, Clarke & Clarke, and Scion. Our portfolio spans fabric, wallpaper, and paint, with manufacturing capabilities through Anstey and Standfast & Barracks. Our purpose is to ‘bring the beautiful into people’s homes and lives’ and we are the proud owner of one of Europe’s largest design archives, with over 75,000 historical documents and artworks. We also have a growing international licensing programme which supports our strategic global expansion.
Responsibilities:
Product Strategy & Range Planning

Partner with the Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy and the Design Director to define, agree and deliver product budgets, collection direction and the wider product road map.
Own the three-year product plan, and ensure range architecture for each brand reflects performance history and where the real growth opportunities lie.
Balance commercial ambition with focus – maximising sales potential while reducing SKU count.
Plan, source, buy and supply new product designed to outperform historical sales and profit, in line with budget.

Commercial Performance & Analysis

Oversee brand range plans to hit Group KPI targets for sales revenue, margin and markdown.
Own intake margin for new product ranges by brand, and use sales, SKU and rebook analysis to sharpen future decisions.
Act as the key contact for Finance on ROI, budgets and forecasting across collections and brands.
Produce the analysis that underpins brand and collection reviews, and enables successful range planning and product sign-off.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Represent Merchandising at product and stage-gate sign-off meetings and at brand/collection reviews with Directors and the CEO.
Chair the stage-gate meeting, holding departments to account on launch plans and progress against timelines.
Shape the design brief with clear direction on market needs and sales goals tied to the ROI plan.
Work with the Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy on production forecasts for new collections, and with Marketing to align the marketing calendar with launches and stock levels for likely best-sellers.
Keep brand positioning, market research and competitor analysis current, presenting findings when needed with support from the Product Planner.

Process, Systems & Continuous Improvement

Keep product status coding accurate and up to date, season on season.
Champion efficient, low-waste ways of working – regularly reviewing processes and automating routine activity where it makes sense, always looking to raise the bar on quality and efficiency.
Keep data accurate across the systems the team relies on, using it to spot bottlenecks, diagnose root causes and drive improvement.

Team & Wider Contribution

Develop and support the Product Planning team.
Take on ad hoc projects for the Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy, and deputise where needed.

Skills & Experience:
Experience & Know-How

Significant merchandising experience, ideally at Senior Merchandiser, Buyer or Planner level.
Solid track record in range planning, forecasting and managing Open-to-Buy (OTB).
Advanced Excel skills, with the confidence to pick up new systems quickly.

How You Work

A logical, analytical and commercially minded approach – comfortable turning data into decisions, and confident with the financial drivers of the business.
Strong planning and organisational skills, able to think strategically as well as manage the day-to-day.
A clear, confident communicator and influencer at all levels, from the shop floor to the boardroom.
Resilient under pressure and deadlines, and comfortable managing change and ambiguity.
Genuine attention to detail, paired with a customer-first mindset – you understand our retailers and end consumers, and keep them front of mind.

Qualifications:

Degree-level educated, or equivalent experience gained on the job.

Values & Behaviours:

Intrepid:

Provide clarity, encouragement and meaningful feedback to help us move forward with purpose and positivity.

Imaginative:

Lead with curiosity, coach and encourage teams to be resourceful and think beyond the obvious to drive meaningful, creative outcomes.

Respectful:

Proactively consider and take responsibility for how decisions and leadership approach impact the team, the wider Group dynamics and performance.