NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
DRAFT
Merchandising & Buying Manager (initial 2-year fixed term
contract)
Purpose
The National Portrait Gallery is one of the country’s premier visitor attractions
with over 2 million visits in 2011-12. The Gallery generates an increasing
proportion of its own running costs from a variety of activities including Trading.
Reporting to the Head of Retail, the Merchandising & Buying Manager is
responsible for delivering a major part of the strategy to maximise profits for the
Gallery from its retailing, trade and online businesses. Through strong leadership,
effective line management support and empathy for the business, the post holder
will enhance the Gallery’s reputation for excellence by delivering imaginative,
profitable and professionally managed merchandise.
Main Objectives

To advise on, and contribute to, the Gallery’s retail strategy to ensure that
product lies at the heart of the business and to devise, maintain and manage
the accompanying retail marketing plan to ensure that it drives the retail
business.

To lead the buying and development of original, high quality, appropriate
and profitable merchandise for the Gallery’s retail, wholesale and online
businesses.

To contribute to a programme of innovative promotions and displays, to make
the Gallery shops, including online, a memorable and indispensable part of
the visitor experience, and oversee the visual merchandising plans and
processes.

To ensure that Trading profits are increased year on year through effective
budgetary and financial management, stock and inventory control, and
negotiating favourable margins with suppliers.
Main Tasks and Responsibilities
Strategic

Contributes to the Trading department’s business plan and creates strategic and
marketing plans for the development and delivery of profitable retail and
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trade sales, working closely with colleagues to ensure their successful
implementation.

Works closely with colleagues in Trading and other Gallery departments,
including Exhibitions, Marketing, Finance and Learning, to ensure that
retailing benefits from, and contributes fully to, the Gallery’s wider
programmes and activities.

Manages supplier relationships with a view to ensuring effective delivery and
inventory controls and maximising margins.

Keeps fully abreast of developments and trends in high street and heritage
retailing and in profitable new areas for digital products.
Merchandising
 Responsible for all retail stock, ensuring that core and other agreed lines,
including Gallery publications, are kept in stock at all times, are reordered or
reprinted in appropriate quantities and adhere to purchasing and stockholding
targets.
 Agrees with the Head of Retail stock holding and ordering parameters, which
are delivered through the Merchandiser, and advises the Head of Business
Development and Managing Editor on print and production quantities for all
new Gallery publications and other printed product.
 Oversees the work of the Merchandiser, ensuring that reports on stock levels for
all lines are produced on a regular basis and that slow moving stock is
addressed and returns and write-downs are identified appropriately.
 Uses EPOS and other sources to inform optimum opening and repeat order
quantities to maximise sales and profitability.
Buying and Product Development
 Uses the annual retail marketing plan to create and develop inspiring,
profitable, high quality ranges based on the Gallery’s collection and
exhibitions programme and works closely with the Merchandiser to identify
gaps and opportunities for their successful development and with the Visual
Merchandiser to agree a dynamic programme of displays and promotions.
 Responsible for initial purchasing of all products offered through the Gallery’s
shops, wholesale and online operations, including its own publications, using
previous sales and stock history where available.
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 In conjunction with the Merchandiser and Assistant Buyer, sets all production
and purchasing schedules to achieve value for money while ensuring goods are
delivered in a timely fashion.
 Liaises with the Retail Operations Manager to ensure that new product buying
and development reflect and support operational concerns, customer feedback
and agreed marketing objectives.
 Works closely with suppliers to develop new products, ensuring that the look
and quality of merchandise compares favourably with the best London
museums and equivalent retailers, that a balance of price points and product
types is represented in the stock range and that the visitor profile is also
appropriately reflected.
 Conducts regular supplier reviews to identify problems, renegotiate terms and
contracts, and source new suppliers where appropriate to ensure the product
portfolio is developed in a cost effective manner and that agreed stock levels,
service standards and product quality are maintained at optimum levels at all
times.
 Works closely with the Rights and Images team to ensure that all rights in new
products are negotiated and cleared and that all opportunities for product
licensing are exploited.
 Presents new merchandise ideas, designs, schedules and budgets regularly to the
Director of Trading and Head of Retail, consults with Gallery colleagues
appropriately and ensures that all products are of a high quality, conform to
appropriate legislation and are sourced in line with the Gallery’s policy on
sustainability and environmental impact.
 Presents new merchandise ranges to the Retail Operations Manager, Sales &
Marketing Co-ordinator and other Trading department colleagues on a regular
basis.
 Regularly attends Gallery meetings as required to present and discuss
merchandise proposals.
 Attends trade shows in the UK and abroad as required.
Marketing
 Works closely with the Head of Retail and Retail Operations Manager to create
an annual retail marketing plan and to develop, deliver and evaluate the
strategy over the course of each year, using research into the Gallery’s
audiences, collections, history, temporary exhibitions and other programmes.
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 Evaluates and further develops the Gallery’s retail marketing strategy in
conjunction with the Head of Retail, Head of Business Development and Sales
& Marketing Co-ordinator to ensure that all revenue opportunities for the
Gallery’s images, digital products and publications are optimised.
Financial and Team Management
 Contributes to the setting and management of purchase and merchandise
development budgets in association with the Retail Operations Manager and
reports to the Head of Retail on the Gallery’s retail pricing and margins
strategy.
 Prepares and issues management information and provides effective financial
performance reporting for stockholding, write-downs, work-in-progress and
purchases.

 Analyses sales data, interpreting results and providing sound recommendations
based on findings; researches and identifies issues and trends,.
 Uses open-to-buy or other systems and processes to manage purchases,
production costs, margins and stock levels to achieve agreed targets and
performance measures, including stock-turn, gross margin and average
transaction values.
 Responsible for recruiting, training, motivating and developing new members
of the Buying team to a high level of performance, ensuring that all Buying
staff receive regular appraisals with appropriate performance targets.
This is not, however, an exhaustive list of duties and the gallery’s management
may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.
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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Merchandising & Buying Manager
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
 A minimum of 5 years’ experience and demonstrable success in buying and
merchandise management with responsibility for strategic development of
profitable product ranges.
 Demonstrable line management experience with a track record of delivering
results through leading, developing and motivating teams.
 Proven success in managing budgets and schedules as well as in financial and
management reporting and analysis.
 Demonstrable experience in devising, costing and delivering effective marketing
plans, ideally within a museum/gallery or a similar not-for-profit
organisation.
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 Experience of, or empathy with, the cultural and heritage sector is desirable, as is a
knowledge of the Gallery’s key subject areas (History, Biography, Photography, Art)
and a desire to expand this knowledge.
Skills and Attributes
 Strong commercial acumen and a successful track record of driving sustained
growth to be able to support the Head of Retail in the running and
development of the Gallery’s retail business.
 The ability to think strategically and understand the practical issues of
identifying markets and planning, implementing and meeting targets in a
challenging financial environment.
 A strong communicator (verbal and written) with excellent interpersonal skills,
and the ability to forge and maintain effective business working relationships
with buying and merchandising partners, suppliers and colleagues at all levels.
 Excellent organisational and time management skills, along with meticulous
attention to detail.
 A good working knowledge of production methods and issues in all major
product areas (eg textiles, ceramics, paper print) and the principles of image
licensing models and rights clearance is highly desirable.
 The ability to work under pressure, plan and manage workloads and take
decisions about both individuals’ and team priorities while identifying
strengths and development areas within the team, and working towards the
development of the team’s performance overall.
 An interest in current affairs and the ability to relate, when appropriate,
displays within the shops to reflect this.
 A high level of computer proficiency in standard business software including
Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), particularly
experience of EPOS systems and maintaining, creating, and generating
spreadsheets and reports in Excel is essential.
Other Attributes
 Flexibility with regard to working hours, including an occasional need to be
available during evenings and at weekends.
 An interest in art and history.
 An interest in, and commitment to, the work of the Gallery.
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National Portrait Gallery
Trading
Director of Trading
Assistant to the
Director of Trading
Head of Business
Development
Head of Retail
Licensing &
Digital Sales
Manager
Managing Editor
Merchandising &
Buying Manager
Production
Manager
Editor
Assistant Editor
Assistant Manager
Rights & Images
Copyright Officer
Sales & Marketing
Co-ordinator
Picture Librarians
Merchandiser
Retail Operations
Manager
E-commerce &
Stores Coordinator
Assistant Buyer
Assistant
Managers
Retail Supervisors
Stores Assistants
Retail Assistants
Admin Assistant
(Apprenticeship)
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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Merchandising & Buying Manager
Details of the post are given below and in the job description. You should take
care to show in your application how you can fulfil the requirements of the job.
Term of appointment:
This post is for a fixed period of two years initially.
Hours
Your contracted hours of work are 40 gross (5 days) per week including a lunch
break of one hour.
Pay
The salary for this post will be circa £35,000 per annum.
Annual Leave
The annual leave allowance for this post is 25 days per annum.
Place of Work
Most of the work is based in the Gallery at St Martin’s Place, but all staff are
required to work at other locations if necessary.
Equality
The Gallery believes in the employment and advancement of people solely on
their ability to do the job required. When recruiting people, we will therefore
disregard their gender, marital status, race, age, colour, nationality, ethnic origin,
religion and sexual orientation. There will be no unfair discrimination on the
basis of disability. If you would like to submit your application in a different
format we are happy to allow this. Please contact us (telephone: 020 7306 0055
email: personnel@npg.org.uk) so that we may discuss suitable alternatives.
Pension
Pension benefits are provided under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme
(PCSPS).
Probation and Trial Period
All appointments are subject to satisfactory employment and character references
and security clearance. There is a probationary period of 1 year for all
permanent posts. For fixed term appointments the probationary period may be less
than 1 year. The probationary period for this post is 1 year.
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Data Protection Act
Information provided by you as part of your application will be used in the
recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access
restricted to those involved in dealing with your application in the recruitment
process. Once this process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful applicants
will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the
successful candidate, your application form will be retained and form the basis of
your personnel record. Information provided by you on the Equal Opportunities
Monitoring Form will be used to monitor National Portrait Gallery’s equal
opportunities policy and practices. By signing and submitting your completed
application form you are giving your consent to your data being stored and
processed (if you submit your application by e-mail and the application form is
un-signed we will assume that consent by you is given) for the purpose of the
recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if
you are the successful candidate.
Season Tickets
Interest free loans are available for the purchase of a season ticket for travel to
work.
Please return your completed application form to:
Personnel at: personnel@npg.org.uk
Or by post
Caroline Wynter
Head of Personnel
National Portrait Gallery
2 St Martin’s Place
London
WC2H 0HE
by 9.00am on Monday 5th November 2012.
We are expecting to hold interviews on 6th and 9th November 2012. Please
indicate on the form if you are not available on either date.
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If you are delivering your application by hand, please take it to the reception
desk at 39-45 Orange Street.
For practical reasons we are unable to respond to every application. Therefore, if
you have not had a response to your application by 30 November 2012, please
assume that, regretfully you have not been successful on this occasion.
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