Head of Category Management | Underwear, Footwear & Accessories

Location: Poznań, Poland

Hybrid working model: 2–3 days per week in our Poznań Head Office

At Pepco, we’re looking for an experienced commercial leader to take ownership of one of our key product areas – Underwear, Footwear & Accessories.

This is a unique opportunity to shape category strategy, build high-performing teams and influence the product offer for millions of customers across Europe.

While our Underwear category is performing strongly, we’re looking for someone who can sustain this momentum while defining the future direction of the wider portfolio. At the same time, this role will play a key part in accelerating the growth of Footwear and Accessories by strengthening customer proposition, commercial performance and long-term category strategy.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Defining and executing the long-term commercial strategy for Underwear, Footwear & Accessories.
• Taking full ownership of category P&L, delivering sales, gross margin, stock, profitability and market share targets.
• Leading the category from strategy through execution, ensuring commercially successful and customer-focused assortments.
• Defining pricing architecture, value proposition and category positioning to maintain competitiveness across European markets.
• Driving innovation, newness and product differentiation based on customer insights, market trends and commercial opportunities.
• Making key in-season trading decisions based on commercial performance, customer behaviour and financial impact.
• Building category strategies supported by customer insights, competitor analysis and market trends.
• Leading cross-functional collaboration with Buying, Planning, Design, Garment Technology, Visual Merchandising, Marketing and Sourcing to deliver a consistent customer proposition.
• Partnering with Buying and Sourcing teams to shape sourcing strategy and maximise commercial opportunities.
• Building, coaching and developing a high-performing Category Management team while creating a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Developing future leaders and building strong succession plans across the category organisation.

We’re looking for someone who

• Has extensive senior experience in Category Management or Buying, ideally within Underwear, Lingerie, Intimates or Apparel.
• Brings a strategic mindset and enjoys building long-term category plans while delivering strong commercial results.
• Has a strong commercial mindset with proven experience managing category P&L.
• Uses data and customer insights to make confident commercial decisions.
• Has a deep understanding of retail, pricing, customer behaviour and market trends.
• Demonstrates accountability, ownership and resilience in a fast-paced environment.
• Has experience leading and developing senior teams, creating an environment where people grow, perform and succeed.
• Is an inspiring leader who coaches others, builds collaboration and develops high-performing teams.
• Is comfortable working in a dynamic international retail environment.
• Is fluent in English.

Experience in Footwear or Accessories is welcome but not essential. What matters most is outstanding commercial leadership, strategic thinking, ownership mindset and a strong background in Underwear or closely related product categories.

What we offer

• A highly visible leadership role with significant influence on one of Pepco’s strategic product areas.
• The opportunity to shape category strategy across multiple European markets.
• A collaborative international environment where your ideas can have a real business impact.
• Hybrid working with 2–3 days per week in our Poznań Head Office.
• Regular international collaboration and business travel, including visits to suppliers in Asia.
• The opportunity to build and develop a high-performing team while contributing to the continued growth of one of Europe’s fastest-growing retailers.