Commercial Director – Buying, Product Design & Merchandising
Location: Northampton (Hybrid – minimum 3 days per week onsite)
Reports to: CEO (Founder)
Department Size: 10–15 people across Buying, Merchandising, Product Design & Supply Chain
About the Business
My 1st Years is a leading UK-based personalised baby and children’s gifting brand within MY Gift Group, alongside sister brands Made Yours and MY Kids.
The next phase of growth will be driven by margin discipline, stock control and scalable product differentiation - not simply increased marketing spend.
Role Purpose
This role exists to ensure that what we sell generates structurally profitable growth.
The Commercial Director owns the end-to-end economic performance of the physical product portfolio, including:
● Buying
● Merchandising
● Product design
● Sourcing & supply chain
● Pricing & margin governance
This role is the margin controller of the business.
Core Accountability
The Commercial Director owns:
● Gross margin (SKU, category and total business)
● Bought-in and traded margins
● Product rate of sale
● Stock turns and ageing
● Markdown exposure
● Intake discipline
● Working capital tied up in stock
● Revenue and margin performance within Selfridges and Harrods
You are responsible for ensuring margin erosion is intentional - never accidental.
Promotions and discounting are joint decisions with the Marketing Director, but cannot be executed without Commercial approval. Marketing drives demand; Commercial protects margin integrity.
Key Responsibilities
1. Product Strategy & Portfolio Control
● Define and simplify range architecture
● Control SKU count and complexity
● Identify hero SKUs and profit drivers
● Lead lifecycle management and rationalisation
● Embed personalisation as a scalable margin-enhancing capability
2. Product Design & Economic Gatekeeping
● Own end-to-end physical product development
● Oversee materials and manufacturability - get involved with product design commercially (CADs, tech packs if need be)
● Translate margin targets into design briefs to ensure option count is efficient
● Refuse approval for products that do not meet economic thresholds
No product launches without margin clarity.
3. Global Sourcing & Cost Engineering
● Lead supplier strategy (China essential)
● Negotiate cost structures and MOQs
● Drive cost engineering as volume scales
● Protect margin against FX, freight and material volatility
4. Merchandising, Forecasting & Stock Discipline
● Own demand forecasting and intake planning
● Improve rate of sale by product
● Drive stock turn improvement
● Reduce ageing and forced markdown exposure
● Model landed cost accurately
Stock is working capital — not decoration.
5. Pricing Architecture, Promotions & Margin Governance
● Set category margin targets
● Define pricing ladders (good/better/best)
● Control when discounting is permitted
● Define maximum discount depth
● Separate stock-led vs demand-led markdown logic
● Approve promotional mechanics from a margin perspective
6. Physical Retail Ownership (Selfridges & Harrods)
● Own revenue, margin and stock performance in physical retail
● Ensure wholesale pricing supports target margin
● Monitor sell-through and partner performance
● Protect brand and pricing consistency across channels
7. SLT & Board Leadership
● Act as margin authority at SLT
● Present SKU-level economics and stock exposure
● Ensure the product engine is exit-ready and buyer credible
Experience Required
Essential
● Senior leadership experience across buying and merchandising
● Demonstrable margin ownership and markdown control
● Strong overseas manufacturing exposure (China essential)
● Proven stock turn and gross margin improvement delivery
Desirable
● Personalised or configurable products
● DTC or omnichannel retail
● Founder-led or high-growth environments
Why This Role Matters
This role determines:
● What the business sells
● How profitable growth truly is
● Whether stock becomes risk or strength
● How credible the business appears to buyers
This is one of the three P&L-critical leadership pillars of the Group.
Location
Northampton (Hybrid – minimum 3 days per week onsite)