Description:
Merchandising Operations Manager
Industry: Designer toys and collectible pieces
Location: Canary Wharf, London
Job type: Full time Permanent
About POP MART
Founded in 2010, POP MART is a market-leading entertainment company and a global champion of designer toy culture. Through global artist development, IP operations, and designer toy culture evangelism, we have built an integrated platform covering the entire designer toy value chain. Besides our original and iconic IPs such as Molly, Hirono, Skullpanda, and LABUBU, POP MART collaborates with top-tier toys and lifestyle brands including Disney, Universal Studios, and Sanrio to create collectible art toys featuring their iconic characters.
POP MART has established a strong presence across key European markets, including the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Spain. As part of our strategic growth initiatives, we are focused on expanding our retail network into additional high-potential markets across Europe, continuing to strengthen our brand's position in the region.
What to Expect
POP MART is a fast-paced company with a young and multicultural team where you can expect to:
- Take full category-level ownership of forecasts and inventory flow across multiple European markets
- Work across cross-functional teams, including HQ, supply chain, retail, and business development
- Play a key role in ensuring product launches are commercially successful and inventory risks are proactively managed
- Grow your expertise in regional assortment planning, demand analysis, and product lifecycle decision-making
- Join a supportive, ambitious merchandising team with clear development pathways
Benefits
POP MART offers our employees:
- Selected POP MART toys as appreciation gifts every month
- A structured bonus scheme in line with the company’s and the individual’s performance
- Comprehensive training and development programs
- Regular team social events
- Paid rest breaks
The Role and Candidate
We are hiring an EU Merchandising Operations Manager to lead the setup, structure, and governance of data, tools, and processes that enable effective merchandising across the region. You will ensure product, stock, and sales data is accurate, timely, and usable, helping the team plan better, execute faster, and review performance more clearly.
Reporting to the Head of Merchandising (Europe), you will act as a key interface between local teams and HQ functions including Product and IP. You will drive initiatives to clean up data flow, automate repetitive tasks, and build scalable planning infrastructure. This is a senior hands-on role that blends system thinking, operational rigour, and strong business awareness.
Responsibilities
Product & Channel Data Governance
- Design and enforce business rules for merchandising data including SKU setup, product lifecycle tagging, and channel attributes
- Ensure accurate and timely handover of product information from HQ IP/Product teams to local market tools
- Define data responsibilities, approval checkpoints, and audit processes for planning-critical fields
- Identify recurring issues in data flow and lead process fixes to improve visibility, accountability, and reliability
Tool Development & System Alignment
- Build and maintain trackers, templates, and dashboards for launch calendars, stock visibility, sales monitoring, and ageing reviews
- Partner with IT and Planning teams to automate processes, reduce duplication, and improve data version control
- Lead user testing and rollout of new tools or enhancements, ensuring adoption and fit for purpose
- Maintain clear documentation of tools, data standards, and how processes link across functions
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Execution Support
- Act as the regional operations lead for merchandising systems and reporting tools
- Liaise with Planning, Retail, Marketing, and HQ teams to ensure data flows are aligned and support timely execution
- Support new market entry, store openings, and campaign readiness by coordinating system inputs and launch prep
- Build and reinforce routines for pre- and post-launch review to ensure insights are captured and used in planning
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 8 years of experience in merchandising operations, data governance, or planning systems within retail or consumer goods
- Deep understanding of product lifecycle data, retail planning logic, and commercial performance tracking
- High proficiency in Excel; experience with Power BI, Tableau, or planning systems is a strong plus
- Proven ability to build tools, structure information, and streamline cross-functional processes
- Strong stakeholder communication and confidence managing both HQ and market-level interactions
- Fluent in English; additional European languages are a plus
Desirable but Not Essential
- Experience in fast-paced retail categories such as fashion, lifestyle, or collectible goods
- Familiarity with ERP or PIM systems, including data model design or workflow mapping
- Track record of leading system improvement or cross-market implementation projects
- Interest in structured operations, information architecture, or consumer product analytics