Head of Online Trading (9month FTC Mat Cover)

Department: E-Commerce

Location: Head Office, London

Description

Own and accelerate ELEMIS' direct-to-consumer e-commerce business across the UK and EU, setting the regional strategy and delivering sustainable revenue, profit and customer growth. As the senior commercial leader for the channel, this role brings together trading, e-commerce and content to create one connected, premium and locally relevant customer journey. Reporting to the UK Commercial Director, this opportunity is for a 9 month FTC covering maternity, immediate start available.

What You Will Do:

Strategy, P&L and commercial leadership:

• Define and own the e-commerce vision, growth roadmap and annual operating plan, aligned to ELEMIS' global brand and omnichannel strategy.
• Deliver revenue, gross margin, contribution and customer targets across markets; own forecasts, investment choices and recovery plans where performance is off track.
• Translate business priorities into market-level trading plans, balancing brand equity, customer value, inventory and profitability.
• Lead weekly, monthly and quarterly business reviews, presenting performance, risks, opportunities and decisions to senior stakeholders.
• Build robust market-entry and acceleration plans for priority markets, using clear stage gates, economics and customer insight.

Trading and performance management:

• Lead the Trading Manager to deliver a consistent market trading rhythm, including daily performance, product launches, seasonal moments, demand shifts and commercial interventions.
• Set the digital merchandising strategy across navigation, search, recommendations, category pages and product discovery, including optimisation of Constructor and related tools.
• Create clear KPI ownership across revenue, conversion, average order value, traffic quality, margin and availability.
• Partner with Demand Planning and Supply Chain to improve availability, launch readiness and inventory health while minimising stock-outs, overstock and margin dilution.
  
  

Content:

• Partner closely with the Brand Content and Editorial team, providing clear e-commerce briefs based on trading priorities, customer behaviour, search demand and performance insights.
• Define the onsite content calendar and prioritisation in line with product launches, campaigns, promotions and the wider trading plan.
• Oversee SEO content requirements in partnership with the SEO agency, Digital IT and Brand Content team, ensuring search opportunities are incorporated.
• Set the UK/EU content strategy for ELEMIS.com, ensuring every market expresses the brand consistently while reflecting local language, culture, regulation and customer behaviour.

Promotions and commercial planning:

• Own promotional strategy and governance across the UK and EU, creating a disciplined calendar of offers, exclusives, gifts with purchase, bundles, sampling and subscription propositions.
• Protect premium brand positioning and margin by setting clear investment thresholds, approval routes, test plans and post-campaign evaluation.
• Align promotional activity with Marketing, CRM, Media, Retail, Wholesale and Finance to deliver coordinated omnichannel moments and avoid channel conflict.

Customer growth, loyalty and subscription:

• Own the e-commerce role in scaling subscription: proposition, enrolment, experience, retention, churn reduction and commercial performance.
• Identify new growth models and partnerships - including social commerce and emerging channels - with disciplined pilots and clear paths to scale.
• Shape acquisition and retention strategy with CRM, Media and Brand teams, improving customer mix, repeat purchase, loyalty and lifetime value.
  

People Leadership:

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team spanning Trading, E-commerce, Content and Promotions and set clear accountabilities, succession plans and capability priorities.
• Create an inclusive, high-trust culture that combines pace and ownership with rigorous planning, constructive challenge and continuous learning.
• Act as the senior e-commerce partner to UK, EU and Global leadership, influencing Brand, Marketing, CRM, Media, Retail, Finance, Technology, & Operations.
• Define governance across central and local teams, clarifying decision rights and creating repeatable playbooks that share learning and accelerate execution.
  
  

What We Are Looking For:

• E-commerce Subject Matter Expert: Deep expertise across trading, merchandising, content operations, promotional strategy, digital product, CRO, personalisation and customer retention.
• P&L ownership: delivery of profitable growth across the UK and multiple European markets.
• Commercial and analytical: able to move confidently between long-term strategy, detailed performance drivers and rapid trading decisions.
• Customer centricity: pushes the boundaries to deliver exceptional customer experiences aligned to our luxury brand positioning, ensuring local relevance.
• Stakeholder management: comfortable in matrix leadership and executive influencing, with the credibility to align global, regional and market stakeholders around shared priorities.
• People leadership:builds high performing teams, inspiring and motivating others whilst building capability aligned to development goals.
  
  
  

What We Offer You!

• We operate a Hybrid working model which means working any three days in our Baker Street (London) Head Office and two days working from home. We also operate with flexible working hours, which means core hours are between 10am - 4pm.
• 27 days holiday per year.
• Additional day off for your Birthday!
• Generous Staff Discount on all your favourite ELEMIS products and spa treatments, as well as discounts on L'OCCITANE Group products (including L'Occitane, Erborian and more).
• Excellent well-being policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity policies, Income Protection, Life Assurance and more.
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Healthcare Cash Plan (with Dental).
• Employee Assistance Programme for all Associates and their families.
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Length of Service Awards.