Retail Manager - Category Owner (all genders) - 18 month parental cover - Lounge by Zalando

As a Retail Manager and Category Owner at Lounge by Zalando, you are the strategic expert for your assigned product categories. You are responsible for driving financial performance and commercial health by bridging the gap between market demand and stock availability. You will manage the lifecycle of your category's inventory, ensuring we have the right brands at the right time to maximize sell-through and customer engagement across our European footprint.

Lounge by Zalando is an online outlet for fashion and lifestyle products in 20+ European countries. We offer our members daily, time-limited sale campaigns with discounts of up to 75% off the recommended retail price. However, Lounge by Zalando is so much more than discounts. Our strength lies in our focus on fashion and lifestyle brands: from sought-after labels to niche brands, from famous international names to trendy luxury brands, we make sure to meet the fashion taste of all our customers, who are always on the hunt for the best products at the best prices. Working with our brand partners, we're pioneering innovative supply-chain and production processes and offer them an impactful and smart solution, creating a new way to shop for fashion - and a new way to sell it.

https://www.zalando-lounge.de

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds.

We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.

We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.

Discover more about our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion

• Function as the primary expert on category-specific demand, tracking trends, seasonal shifts and competitor movements to shape a winning category strategy. Experience in the Home category is a strong plus.

• Monitor and optimize stock health, aging and turnover. You will define the ideal stock mix and ensure inventory is allocated effectively to maximize commercial performance.

• Provide deep-dive analysis on category conversion, portfolio performance and customer insights, turning data into actionable replenishment or promotional strategies.

• Define and execute a category-specific retail calendar, ensuring that high-impact brand launches and commercial moments are supported by sufficient and relevant stock.

• Act as the key liaison between the Lounge Buying, Merchandising and Market teams to align category goals with overarching business targets.

• Drive initiatives to improve stock flow efficiency and inventory accuracy, setting the standard for category operations within the team.

• You have at least 3 years of relevant experience in merchandising, retail, e-commerce, or strategic category management, preferably within a fast-paced online fashion environment.

• You hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics or a related field.

• You are highly analytical with strong mathematical abilities and a logical approach to problem-solving, and you are comfortable interpreting complex datasets to make commercial decisions.

• You possess a solid understanding of stock management principles (sell-through, stock-to-sales ratios, inventory aging) and online fashion trading.

• You have excellent knowledge of Google Suite (especially Sheets/Excel) and experience with data visualization tools like Tableau or Google Analytics.

• You are results-oriented, able to work independently and have a proven track record of driving the success of category-led projects.

• You are fluent in English and can communicate strategic category insights clearly to diverse stakeholders.

If you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days)

• 2 paid volunteering days a year

• Hybrid working model with up to 60% remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration

• Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year

• Employee shares program

• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners

• Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)

• Family services, including counseling and support

• Health and wellbeing options (including Wellhub, formerly Gympass)

• Mental health support and coaching available

• Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review