Wholesale Trade Operations Manager
28 days ago
Potters Bar
At Elizabeth Scarlett, we exist to create joy, inspire wonder, and protect wildlife - using art and design to connect people to nature, and to one another. By 2030, our goal is to have contributed over £2 million to wildlife conservation. As our Wholesale Trade Operations Manager, you will join a team that leads with kindness, dreams big and takes action together. You'll support our Wholesale Trade team to process orders flawlessly, and improve the systems that serve our bricks-and-mortar and online retail partners. The role covers day-to-day support through our peak trading period, as well as preparing the team for growth in 2027. Reporting to: Location: Hybrid: 3-4 days in the office, depending on peak trading needs (November-December), and up to 5 days during special events Employment type: Full Time, Permanent This role leads Wholesale Trade Operations for Elizabeth Scarlett across the UK and USA, owning the end-to-end wholesale process and fulfilment budgets. You'll make order fulfilment more accurate, efficient and resilient by getting retailer requirements right the first time, from production through to our Third Party Logistics (3PL) partners. You'll also improve stock allocation and build KPI reporting on delivery performance. This hands-on role requires a solid understanding of wholesale logistics, including EDI, routing guides and retailer requirements. You'll lead the Trade Operations team (currently 2 people) and own wholesale trade relationships with our UK and US 3PLs and carriers. You'll work closely with the Operations Director, as well as the Production, Merchandising, Finance and Sales & Partnership teams. You'll set up Wholesale Operations for long-term success by developing the team, planning capacity and driving automation to support the growth planned for 2027 and beyond. • Own the end-to-end wholesale process for the UK and USA - ensuring the 3PL receive, process and dispatch orders on time, and that every invoice is issued., • Set and optimise order-processing workflows and Standard Operating Practices (SOPs) across retail partners, drop-ship programmes, distributor replenishment and special trade orders., • Support your team to troubleshoot order issues, and implement root-cause solutions to prevent recurrence., • Develop end-to-end OTIF reporting against wholesale customers' expectations, and identify the causes of delays and shortages., • Lead peak season planning, including volume forecasts, 3PL capacity and readiness checklists., • Build contingency playbooks for disruptions such as EDI failures, carrier issues, customs holds and retailer system outages., • Deliver cost reductions without compromising service, with a clear view of how operational decisions affect margins., • Lead your team to become experts in retailer routing guides, compliance manuals & vendor requirements, and build playbooks for key partners., • Ensure compliance across carrier selection, delivery appointments, labelling, packing slips & shipment documentation, and record and raise any non-compliances., • Work with Production to get retailer requirements right the first time at manufacture., • Own chargeback tracking and investigation, and eliminate root causes., • Through your team - manage wholesale returns (damaged goods claims, customer returns, end-of-season buybacks and bulk returns), coordinating authorisations and credits with Sales and Finance., • Track return reasons to identify patterns and issues, • Own wholesale relationships with our UK and US 3PL partners - holding them accountable to wholesale SLAs through weekly and monthly reviews of OTIF , case pack accuracy, pallet quality, ASN compliance, and cost per case., • Build escalation and exception processes to resolve fulfilment issues quickly and minimise retailer penalties. 1. Inventory & Stock Allocation • Own pool stock and Available to Sell (ATS) inventory at our UK and US wholesale 3PLs, managing the stock reserve model with the Logistics and Inventory Manager, • Improve allocation and stock reservation to speed up order processing, reduce errors, and give the Sales & Partnership team clarity on stock available to sell., • Manage allocation when stock is constrained, working with Planning, Production and Merchandising to align availability and replenishment with customer PO commitments. 1. Systems, EDI & Automation • Own EDI connections with trading partners to ensure order transmission, ASNs and invoices are reliable. You’ll monitor connections, elevate issues and support new set-ups., • Work with the Finance and Systems Website teams to integrate and troubleshoot NetSuite, Mintsoft WMS, ShipHero WMS and EDI platforms for wholesale workflows., • Identify and drive automation that improves speed and reduces manual effort., • Lead your team with clear priorities, and guide them in developing and balancing transactional, improvement and strategic workstreams., • Build, manage and develop the Trade Operations team, owning hiring and capacity planning as the channel grows., • Provide holiday and absence cover within the team, using this hands-on experience to drive improvements., • Develop relationships between the Operations, Sales & Partnership and Finance teams as well as 3PLs., • Stay current on wholesale logistics trends, best practice and technology. Typical Key Performance Indicators • OTIF delivery rate to wholesale customers, • Order accuracy and error-free order percentage, • Cost per case shipped and year-on-year cost reduction, • Chargeback value and reduction rate Experience • 4-6 years of experience across wholesale trade operations, Business to Business (B2B) retail, supply chain and 3PL operations in a fast-growing goods business., • Demonstrated hands-on experience in improving and implementing processes and systems from order to delivery, including WMS (e.g., Mintsoft, ShipHero ), ERP (e.g., NetSuite ) and integration platforms (e.g., Patchworks and SPS )., • 2-4 years of team-leadership experience, including leading teams under high pressure and prioritising competing needs. Must-have skills • The ability to roll-up your sleeves and get into the details of a process, while also stepping back to understand the bigger picture, purpose, conflicts and synergies to address., • Proven success in quickly embedding yourself in cross-functional teams, working with people at every level of experience and accountability., • Exceptional organisational skills, able to manage multiple tasks across different channels, delivery dates, and priorities., • Comfortable building rapport with both internal teams and external partners., • A problem-solving mindset, with the ability to identify issues early and take ownership of resolving them., • Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for order tracking, reporting, and data management., • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Nice-to-have • Knowledge of US trade operations and US wholesalers such as Dillards, Nordstrom and Von Maur, • A background in fashion, accessories, lifestyle, or consumer goods., • Experience using generative AI tools (e.g., Claude / Chat GPT) to work more efficiently without devolving decision-making. Mindset • Proactive and accountable . You spot issues early, raise concerns, and take ownership of fixing them., • Service led . You genuinely care about delivering an excellent customer experience., • Commercially aware . You understand how operational excellence impacts customer retention and brand reputation., • In the details and above . You can work through a routing guide line by line in the morning, then step back and redesign the process that caused the issue in the afternoon. Values fit • Kind, collaborative, and reliable - someone that teams trust to get things done., • Calm under pressure and comfortable managing competing priorities., • Excited to work for a brand blending creativity, commerciality, and purpose. At three months, you've led the team through peak, OTIF reporting is live for UK and US partners and chargebacks are tracked with their root causes identified. At six months, the end to end order process is efficient and effective in delivering the customer-expected OTIFs, SOPs and retailer playbooks are in place for key partners, causes of chargebacks are addressed, and the team, systems and 3PL capacity are ready for future growth volumes. You’re probably not the right fit if… • You've run warehouse or 3PL operations but haven't worked with retailer compliance, routing guides or chargebacks., • You prefer to set strategy and delegate the detail. This role is hands-on, especially through peak., • You're looking for a mature, fully systemised operation rather than the chance to build one. Salary, bonus & benefits • 10% performance bonus, • Private medical insurance, health & wellbeing discounts, stress support, • Income protection, life assurance & enhanced Pension contributions Flexibility and time • Immediate start, • Daily hours 0830-1700 with 1 hour lunch break (flexibility to start 0800-0930 if preferred), • Hybrid working (3-4 days in-office in Potters Bar), • Annual L&D budget (3% of salary), • Annual summer retreat (e.g. 42 Acres, Somerset), • £500 ES products per year at 60% team discount, • 25% friends and family discount Impact and ownership • Full ownership of the trade operation, with the autonomy to shape it as ES grows., • Direct contribution to our wildlife conservation mission., • Screening call with our Talent Acquisition Associate, • Interview with our Chief of Staff, • Final interview with our Operations Director, Chief of Staff and Wholesale Operations Manager Ready to join a purpose-driven brand and help us scale joy and conservation impact? #J-18808-Ljbffr
