Senior Product & Merchandising Manager
Overview
The Design Museum is the world’s leading museum devoted to contemporary design in all its forms, supported by a diverse Commercial & Operations directorate.
As part of our Commercial Transformation 2029 strategy, we have created a new Senior Product & Merchandising Manager role to help deliver our Shop DESIGN, Support CHANGE vision.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead the end‑to‑end retail and licensing product lifecycle and shape a creative, commercially successful retail experience.
About the role
The Senior Product & Merchandising Manager leads the product vision, developing and delivering a clear product strategy, aligning buying and merchandising plans to drive income growth, profitability and long‑term brand value.
Working closely with Buying, Merchandising and Operations, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering the strategic transformation of the museum’s retail offer.
Key areas of focus include:
- Leading the delivery of the product pillar within the commercial transformation strategy, defining and executing a cohesive implementation plan.
- Shaping and integrating partnerships within the wider product strategy, including licensing, limited editions, touring/B2B and ecommerce exclusives.
- Benchmarking trends, materials, market developments and competitor retail, sharing insights to inform product direction.
- Overseeing the delivery and embedding of commercial brand guidelines, ensuring clarity, cohesion and a consistent visual language.
- Overseeing delivery of buying and merchandising targets and overall retail KPIs, including income, profit, conversion and average transaction value.
About you
We are looking for someone who brings:
- Strong creative flair and the ability to excite and influence others about a clear product vision.
- Experience as a senior buyer and product developer, ideally within a cultural setting, with an interest in design.
- Demonstrable merchandising experience in a fast‑paced environment.
- A commercially aware approach, with a proven track record of achieving targets, negotiating terms and maintaining strong supplier and stakeholder relationships.
- Excellent communication skills, including managing complex external relationships.
- Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise a complex workload in a changing environment with tight deadlines.
The complete job description (including the person specification) is available to download on this page.
Terms and Conditions
Salary: up to £48,000 per annum
Holidays: 25 days + Christmas eve (museum closed)
Hours: 35 hours/5 days per week
Location: the Design Museum Kensington is the place of work - with a hybrid arrangement of 60% of an employee’s role to be performed at the museum and 40% remote.
Closing date: Sunday 14 June (midnight)
Interviews: Thursday 25 June & Wednesday 01 July
Queries
If you encounter any issues while completing your application, please email peopleteam@designmuseum.org before the vacancy closing date. We will be in touch as soon as possible; (please note the inbox is monitored Monday-Friday).
Senior Product & Merchandising Manager
Kensington, Kensington & Chelsea, Greater London, United Kingdom
W8
Up to £48,000 per year
Permanent - Full-time
Posted today
Closing date: 15/06/2026
Documents
Senior Product and Merchandising Manager_Job Description.pdf
Share this vacancy
- 25 days holiday, rising to 26 days (after two years' of service) and 27 days (after five years' of service)
- Hybrid working, 60% museum, 40% remote and annually two weeks fully remote
- Core hours and flexible working, including part-time and compressed hours
- Season ticket loan, tenancy deposit loan, cycle to work scheme
- Access to a defined contribution pension scheme
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
- Free museum entry for friends and family
- Discounts in the museum shops and cafes
- Free entry to other galleries and museums
- Employee assistance programme
The museum pro-actively seeks to collaborate with institutional partners, individuals, and networks to realise its commitment to build a culturally diverse workforce. We positively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and consider candidates who are suitably qualified and eligible regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
Senior Product & Merchandising Manager
Kensington, Kensington & Chelsea, Greater London, United Kingdom
Up to £48,000 per year