The role
We are looking to hire a Senior Editor Womenswear to join our Content team in either London or South Africa on a 12-month fixed-term, maternity cover basis.
Working at WGSN
Together, we create tomorrow
A career with WGSN is fast-paced, exciting and full of opportunities to grow and develop. We're a team of consumer and design trend forecasters, content creators, designers, data analysts, advisory consultants and much more, united by a common goal: to create tomorrow.
WGSN's trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory. If you are an expert in your field, we want to hear from you.
Role overview
We're looking for a Senior Womenswear Specialist who has proven experience to join our Content team as a Maternity Leave cover on a fixed-term contract for 12-months. The role can be based out of the following locations – London or South Africa.
You will be required to write industry reports as they relate to the global commercial fashion market. With an innate understanding of Womenswear, you will be articulate in written English and visual communication. Being highly skilled in interpreting the womenswear market, you are sought out internally and externally, as a trusted industry expert. As a Senior Strategist you will contribute to and manage projects, providing direction in your area of expertise by building and maintaining strong, and global cross-department relationships. You will feed into your department’s global content strategy and supervise content creation from more junior members of the team.
You will have a strong knowledge of women’s fashion trends, new product development and sustainability, and have an understanding of the role data and analytics plays in commercial success. You will produce reports identifying product opportunities for WGSN’s design and buying clients at an item and category level using a combination of image research and WGSN’s proprietary data sets across ecommerce and social media.
You will have had a fashion design or buying education within womenswear apparel and be able to take that knowledge and use it to comment confidently on the implications of apparel trends across multiple product categories.
This role sits at a level that is equivalent to an in-brand senior womenswear designer.
The team
You will be part of a dynamic and high performing womenswear team made up of very talented people who have one goal in common - to be the proudest WGSN brand ambassadors.
Key accountabilities
Researching and creating solution-driven content, showing a clear understanding of client needs across the womenswear category. Delivering this content in either written, visual or video format.
Collaborating with other content departments, you will support the acting Head of Womenswear with content direction for Womenswear across the global WGSN platforms & channels.
Supporting the acting Head of Womenswear to maintain a strong working relationship with Global Content, Content Operations, Sales, Marketing and Product Development.
Supporting the acting Head of Womenswear in delivering content direction and supervision for junior team members. Editing and peer reviewing strategist content as directed by Acting Head of Womenswear, consistently raising the quality of work within the Womenswear team, whilst aligning with in-house editorial guidelines.
Taking a lead in team meetings when required, putting forward new ideas and suggestions for content creation, report processes and formats.
Representing Womenswear for WGSN at client facing meetings, tradeshows & events and media engagements. Maintaining a high degree of confidence and being able to showcase a visible presence with limited preparation and/or little notice.
Keeping abreast of client needs across the globe to better understand their challenges, alongside tracking changes within the industry to anticipate these needs.
Sourcing and commissioning international freelancers and editing their content.
Research and develop macro and micro trends as part of a designated forecast team, actively contributing to the content direction for WGSN Trend Days.
Forecasting and tracking market trends using quantitative and qualitative data within all markets, demographics, and regions.
Collaborate beyond the direct womenswear department to build knowledge within the wider Fashion Content team.
Delivering traffic growth by consistently evaluating internal data and client feedback to improve P&G content standards and relevance.
Travel nationally and internationally to cover industry trade shows, conferences and other events when required.
Provide quotes for press and broadcast media as required.
Work with the consultancy arm, Mindset to work and deliver projects and workshops to clients when required.
This list is not exhaustive and there may be other activities you are required to deliver.
Skills, experience & qualifications required
Proven career experience within the womenswear market with a background in trend forecasting, design or buying, demonstrating a deep understanding of the apparel industry across design, buying, textile innovation and lifestyle drivers.
Exceptional knowledge of the global womenswear market from premium to commercial trends across fashion and lifestyle product areas, and the ability to pin-point trends that will have a great impact.
Expert level of experience in writing, editing and reporting through an extensive career path within design, buying or content creation.
Good standard of written English.
Good understanding of how macro and micro trends and social media platforms are impacting Womenswear output within the apparel industry.
An expert understanding of the role data and analytics plays in commercial success, with the ability to pinpoint trends that will impact the market.
Ability to take ownership of personal assignments, prioritise workload and support other members of team.
Ability to manage your own time effectively to meet exacting content deadlines.
Excellent organisation, communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work within an international team to ensure production standards, reports or outputs are of a consistently high standard and submitted on time.
Willing to invest time to build strong working relationships with the wider content team as well as sales, client services and marketing.
Management experience.
Technical skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace.
Ascential’s supporting beliefs
Focus: we ruthlessly prioritise and always keep things simple
All in: once we commit we deliver, with a clear focus on outcome
Trustworthiness, transparency & openness: transparency inspires trust & empowers
Be creative: we are smart, pro-active innovators
Facts: we always use data & insight to inform our work
Empathy: we can be relied upon for fairness and consideration
No silos: one team, one face, one reputation
What we offer
Our benefits and wellbeing package offers flexible benefits you can tailor to your own personal needs, including:
25 days of holiday per year - with an option to buy/ sell up to 5 days
Pension, Life Assurance and Income Protection
Flexible benefits platform with options including Private Medical, Dental Insurance, Critical Illness, and the Ascential Shares Scheme – opt in
Employee assistance programme, season ticket loans and cycle to work scheme
Volunteering opportunities and charitable giving options
Great learning and development opportunities.
More about WGSN
WGSN is the global authority on consumer trend forecasting.
We help brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer.
Our culture
An inclusive culture is one of our key priorities. We want our people to truly be themselves and thrive. We love having a diverse team of people who bring new ideas, different strengths and perspectives & reflect the global audience we work with.
Why choose us?
At Ascential, diversity, equity and inclusion is core to us. We’re a company built around our people - and we’re committed to supporting each and every one of them to be the best they can be. We love having a diverse team of people who bring new ideas and different strengths and perspectives to Ascential. Our employee-led networks, Ascential Pride, Black in Business and EmPower: An Ascential Women's Initiative, help us to create a place where communities and allies can connect and share experiences. In addition, our Early Talent programmes help grow and foster diverse new talent for our sectors.
We are committed to supporting the environment and sustainability, including ensuring our pension plan defaults to sustainable options and striving to be net zero by 2030.
Recognising great performance is a key part of our culture. Our Awards schemes recognise and reward the brilliant achievements of our people.
We have a truly flexible working environment with a wide range of flexible, hybrid and agile-working arrangements. Conversations about flexible working have always been - and will continue to be - actively encouraged here.
We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to perform their best when interviewing, so if you require any reasonable adjustments that would make you more comfortable during the process, please let us know so that we can do our best to support you.
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