Job Purpose

At WHSmith our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers. The ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Partnerships team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work. The purpose of this exciting new role is to steer our development and growth in Partnerships for WHSmith Travel.

Who we are

Celebrating 230 years, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 11,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

For UK Travel our mission is simple - to create value for our stakeholders by providing a platform for global brands responsible for essentials and technology in airports (including our InMotion stores), hospitals, rail stations and other markets. Our office is based in a buzzing part of central London close to Liverpool Street Station. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture at all levels. It’s perfect for people who are happy to use their initiative and embrace life outside their comfort zone.

What you'll do

• Providing a deep understanding of the commercial performance of all partnerships and ensure that all levers are fully maximised.
• Have responsibility for sales, waste, availability, and margin targets for all partnerships including targets agreeing with the partnership and the internally within WHSmith.
• To understand margin of each partnership and ensure that any issues are flagged and actioned with the partnerships.
• To ensure that all set up has been completed by the relevant stakeholders to represent any pricing changes, menu changes or other set up requirements.
• To action key commercial VCO drivers to deliver budgets within partnerships
• Coordinate and action key commercial asks of the partnerships on behalf of key stakeholders coordinating responses and ensuring full settlements and actions as required.
• To action with the partnerships key changes to be made to supply chain and ranging etc in order to improve margin and sales.
• Flag and action risk and opportunities on the P&Ls by partnerships.
• To be able to articulate internally the commercial performance of all partnerships and to participate in key trading meetings and forums.
• To provide the commercial performance input into all partnership governance meetings
• Deep understanding of the Franchise models and the opportunities and risks and levers that can be pulled to maximise return.
• To assist in all, follow up with partners as required regarding financial accounting issues through settlement processes.
• Using all the data available to gain insights into performance and make recommendations for action with current partnerships.
• Work with Insights team to have a current and appropriate view of partnerships role in WHSmith – new and current.
• To provide current market analysis of partnership opportunities and the markets we should be in
• Assist in FA and contract negotiations providing supporting insight and analysis.
• Provide and keep updated a channel and partner strategy for the next 3 years.
• To articulate the KPI performance of the Partnerships and flag any risks of compliance.
• To feed into and guide the strategy for the Joint Business Plans for all the Partnerships to ensure they are robust with actions to drive growth organically.

Who you are

• First-hand experience at managing trade for franchise Partnerships
• Advanced levels of excel and powerpoint
• Ability to drive clear actions from analysis
• Understanding of the retail and hospitality markets and how they would perform in Travel
• Experience of managing levers in a Franchise Agreement
• Good negotiation skills
• Outstanding communication skills that can adapt to different styles
• Evidence of stakeholder management across multiple teams
• Excellent understanding of P&L analysis and the ability to drive improvement
• Evidence of driving commercial performance through a Hospitality partnership and through a Joint Business Plan
• Managing relationships with integrity

What we can offer you

• Annual bonus based on company and personal performance
• Hybrid working model from home and in the office
• 25 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday
• Finish at 4pm on a Friday
• Competitive pension contribution
• Staff discount card for stores and online