Job Description

Employment type

Full time

Experience

5 year

Pay

90,000 per year

Location

UOE Store : N10
London, England N10 1DW


###

About the job

Head of Merchandise & Marketing

(Based North London/Hybrid possible)

Reports to:

CEO

Start Date:

August/Sept 2025

Employment Type:

Full Time

Location:

North London/Hybrid

Salary:

90k + Bonus Plan + Benefits

About UOE

UOE is entrepreneurially led and backed by Private Equity, rewriting the rules of modern high street retail. Growing from 9 to 40 stores over the next few months (with more on the way) we blend stationery, gifting, instore services, and the Post Office into vibrant, customer-loved spaces that serve local communities with purpose and personality.


We're scaling fast -- but with intention. Every product on our shelves and every message in our windows reflects our commitment to brilliant service, surprising fun, and local relevance. Our growth is powered by a team that believes retail can still delight, and a brand that's ready to punch above its weight.


As we expand, we're looking for a creative and commercially minded

Head of Merchandise & Marketing

to lead the way -- shaping what we sell and ensuring customers keep coming back.

The Role

This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for the end-to-end customer proposition across product, pricing, promotions, communications and visual presentation.


Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll lead the merchandise and marketing strategies for UOE's entire retail and Post Office estate. Your team will define and deliver our product mix, curate compelling ranges, create engaging seasonal campaigns, and ensure every store tells the UOE story with clarity and confidence.


You'll blend data and creativity to deliver results -- and work cross-functionally to turn strategy into daily execution across a growing network of 40+ locations.


It's a

hands-on, sleeves-rolled-up

role in a busy, scaling business -- ideal for someone ready to make a real impact.

Key Responsibilities

Merchandise & Buying Strategy

Develop and implement merchandise and buying strategies across all categories (stationery, gifting, cards, print, packaging etc.) that maximise sales and profitability. Own supplier relationships and terms negotiations covering pricing, supplier soft funding programmes, commercial terms & conditions and service level agreements. Build and manage seasonal and core ranges that balance commercial performance with customer inspiration Control inventory management across all categories delivering high on shelf availability

Marketing & Customer Communications

Own brand positioning, messaging and campaign execution across all customer touchpoints Lead the development of seasonal and tactical marketing plans to drive footfall and sales Manage local marketing and PR for store openings, community engagement and partnerships Oversee the creation of in-store signage, POS, and customer communications with consistency and creativity

Retail Presentation

Define store layouts, category adjacencies and product positioning to maximise shopability and engagement Work with the Retail Performance team to implement best-in-class visual merchandising and store presentation Support the development of new store concepts and refurbishments alongside the Transformation Team

Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Lead and develop a growing team across product selection, forecasting & inventory management, creative and marketing Work in close collaboration with Operations and Retail Performance teams to convert strategy into reality Work as a member of the Senior Leadership Team to align trading strategy with company goals

Data Analytics and Financial Ownership

Analyse market trends, company results and customer feedback to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement Report sales, trends and financials, using our in-house tools (Zoined, Lightspeed & Excel) to the Leadership team

About You

We're looking for someone who is:

Creative and commercial-- as comfortable building a range as briefing a window campaign Data-driven-- knows how to read the numbers and act on them Strategic but hands-on-- equally happy planning big-picture initiatives and tweaking a shelf layout Brand-minded-- passionate about retail storytelling and customer experience A strong communicator-- confident working with suppliers, internal teams and Senior Leaders Financially astute- understands the financial impact of your department and aligns these with the wider company financial goals

You'll also bring:

Senior experience in a merchandise, buying or marketing leadership role (ideally multi-category retail) Strong commercial understanding across margin, pricing, stock turn and supplier negotiation Experience working across both physical retail and in-store marketing channels Leadership capability -- able to build and inspire a cross-functional team Confidence with tools like Excel, Lightspeed, Zoined, Canva and marketing platforms (or a willingness to learn fast)

Why Join UOE?

Join an entrepreneurial, fast-scaling business with serious ambition and momentum Sit on the Senior Leadership Team and help define the customer experience as we scale to 50+ stores Own a critical portfolio -- what we sell and how we sell it Help shape the next chapter of modern, community-led retail Competitive base salary of

90,000

with a

performance-based bonus structure

and other benefits such as salary sacrifice scheme etc. Enjoy real autonomy, meaningful challenge and genuine career progression Employee Assistance Program through our Post Office alliance ###

Working at UOE Store

We are UOE

UOE is one of the UK's fastest growing independent retailers, combining award-winning stationery stores with full-service Post Offices. With a proud heritage dating back to 1983, we're a people-powered business that puts community and customers at the heart of everything we do. We're expanding to 40 stores and beyond through an ambitious growth and transformation programme -- reimagining the high street with vibrant, modern retail stores. Our culture is driven by our core values: Expert & Trusted, Hub of the Community and Surprisingly Fun! Join us and help shape the next chapter of UOE.