Change Lead

at  Penneys

CHANGE LEAD (MANAGER) – MAJOR PROGRAMME (PRODUCT MODEL) - 24 MONTH FIXED TERM CONTRACT

Our Transformation teams are right at the heart of what we do. Surrounded by some of the best Transformation specialists in the industry, you’ll bring your own ideas to the business - helping to shape the experience of our customers as part of a forward-thinking team.
As Primark continues to grow with new or expanded presence across multiple continents, we need to evolve our operating model to ensure we can become a truly global business. Our customers and our product offer are at the heart of the business; therefore, we need to be able to cater for a diverse range of customers and optimise our stock across the estate dependent on our customer demands. To create a more efficient and scalable operating model; technology, data and insights underpin this transformation.
Following a transition from two buying offices to one Global Buying Office in 2019, the Product Model Programme moved into a Transformation phase with the objective to ensure the future model is ‘fit’ to (i) sustain our economic advantage over competitors, and (ii) support our global growth ambitions, whilst remaining consistent with our overall vision and strategy for the business, and our value position to deliver amazing affordable fashion to all.
The Product Model encompasses the full end to end of the product journey, from Strategy, Range Planning and Buying, through to Stock Management and Trading, and the associated processes for our Buying, Merchandising, Design, Quality, Sourcing and Retail teams.

The programme core projects will include:

• Product Lifecycle & Management – Implementing a new PLM tool (vendor selected) into the business in 2024 and our Primark suppliers in 2025. This will support our product development and order management process but also critically supports the management of our product data for upcoming legal and compliance regulation.
• Merchandising Financial Planning & Product Assortment – Implementing a new planning platform (vendor selected) in 2024 including a new assortment planning tool and MFP to support product planning and ranging.
• Stock Optimisation – Scoping and implementing a new allocation and replenishment tool for the business to support our market expansion and new growth strategies.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

In your role, you’ll collaborate with different people across a range of skillsets. Here’s a flavour of your day-to-day:

• Working with business leaders, take a strategic view (aligned to Primark 2030) to understand specific challenges, change context, climate and capacity to implement and adopt the required changes across the total programme from initiation to evolution.
• Working with programme leadership, proactively create and refine the change management strategies for Product Model within Primark’s business context. Support senior leaders with change sponsorship and transformation leadership approaches.
• Design and deliver Primark’s change related work for the Product Model (e.g. Change Impact Assessment, Learning Needs Analysis, Comms approach, climate and capacity analysis) complete change impact assessments, measurement strategy and embedding approach.
• Provide pragmatic support to make change happen in our global organisation, with a multi functional, enterprise wide view taking international navigation and cross border activation planning into account.
• Design and develop any and (potentially all) resources to launch, activate and embed within target areas of the business.
• Lead small team of Change Pillar Leads to provide integrated change strategy and solutions to embed Product Model across full Primark business and operations.

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• Significant Change experience gained through several complex and varied environments. Global or significant cross border experience is a must
• Retail experience – either working in or with FMCG, retail or management consulting for a minimum of 8 years
• Experience of product model type implementation at major organisation, or similar end to end system - led organisational change
• Ability to Engage, Inspire & Influence (at all levels)
• Having managerial courage to tackle issues and challenge appropriately
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple high-priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high degree of commercial acume