Job Description

We are looking for a new Ecommerce and Marketing Director to join our successful, family owned-and-run retail business, Pavers. You'll be based at our new Head Office in York -- a space designed to support collaboration, innovation, and the next phase of our growth.


Our direct-to-consumer and marketplace channels have quickly grown to more than a third of our annual sales and we are looking for an experienced team-player skilled in high growth environments to continue this journey. You will be expected to represent our customer at the highest level, drive ecommerce profitability, and lead a team that is both commercially sharp and customer-obsessed. We will give you the trust, autonomy, and investment to succeed. In return we ask you to be friendly, work hard, act with humility, and maintain relentless focus on identifying and delivering for our customers.


You will sit on the Pavers Operating Board and be responsible for the performance and P&Ls of all Direct-to-Consumer, Marketplace, and Brand channels. You will be tasked with creatively driving footfall to our business, including our 200 retail stores, without relying on discount codes. You will report directly to the ambitious Managing Director, a 3rd generation member of the family, and have responsibility for a marketing team that includes Performance Marketing (Ecom Trading/CRO/CRM/SEO/Paid Digital/Print/Paid Social/Marketplaces) and Brand Marketing (Creative/Content/Social/PR/Brand liaison), as well as being supported by dedicated Ecom IT resources and a Data & Insight team. Balancing the need to get your hands dirty and disrupt existing ways of working, whilst leading and managing talented colleagues in a supportive, collaborative, and constructive way, is a fundamental requirement of the role.


Pavers has been trading for over 50 years and is a highly profitable and growing family business with a strong balance sheet and a turnover of c. 200m. We also own the Jones Bootmaker, Herring Shoes, and Padders / Van Dal footwear businesses, remain acquisitive, and employ over 1900 people. In November '24 we were recognised as the 2nd best Retailer to work for in the UK by Best Companies, are Carbon Neutral, have donated more than 2m to our charitable foundation in the past 5 years, and continue to invest heavily in capital projects to ensure our long-term success.


Key responsibilities:

Be a champion for the customer -- identify opportunities or unmet expectations, own the solutions, and act as a visible and vocal advocate for the customer across all ecommerce and marketing touchpoints Relentlessly pursue commercial opportunities -- closely manage our internal and external performance marketing teams, maximising ROAS, spotting trading gaps, conversion opportunities, and underperformance, and mobilising the team to capitalise at pace Drive change with urgency -- challenge ways of working, remove blockers, and accelerate progress across people, platforms, and performance without compromising on standards or team wellbeing Work with our Product and Retail Directors to develop short- and long-term tactical and strategic solutions for achieving company goals Maximise footfall within the business to drive revenue, customer loyalty, brand recognition, and market share across all business sales channels (Stores, eCommerce, and Marketplaces) Work in collaboration with our IT team to ensure a best-in-class tech stack and fully optimised user journeys, including leading the adoption of AI and new technologies, and managing our CRO program Provide inspirational leadership, support, and guidance to the team. Motivate them to hit project delivery deadlines and communicate progress in the appropriate senior forums Drive the elevation of customer experience across all touchpoints Develop the personal and operational relationships necessary to accelerate our 3rd party marketplace offering Set budgets, manage P&Ls, define objectives, monitor workflow, identify and fill resource gaps, and implement and refine processes as required Establish and monitor key metrics, spend, placement and channel mix maximising conversion of shoppers to purchase throughout the funnel Provide relevant and timely reporting to stakeholders on measurement and key metrics, identifying trends and insights, and optimising spend and performance-based analytics Advancing our use of automation, personalisation, and customer journeys across all channels Bring external best practice into the business and team

Ideal candidate:

Has a strong commercial instinct and a passion for trading Represents the voice of the customer -- driven by data, feedback, and intuition to identify friction points, product gaps, or opportunities in the journey, and challenge the business to do better Thrives in fast-moving environments and sets the tone for pace, accountability, and results -- especially when driving change and introducing new ways of working Knows how to balance pace in a rapid growth environment with empathy, pushing teams to move faster while supporting their growth and enabling success Is a performance and analytics expert with experience leading successful ecommerce teams, understanding the detail, and possessing the ability to interrogate upper, mid, and lower funnel paid media campaigns Recognises the value of strong brand messaging across touchpoints to drive CLTV Possesses a deep understanding of all digital communication channels, e-commerce platforms, and database management tools Has a working understanding of print (direct/OTP/inserts/partnerships) and TV / video / social marketing opportunities Shares a vision of setting CoS/RoAS budgets based on LTV by channel Is experienced in forming, managing, and optimising marketplace relationships Can generate customer insights from analytics and translate them into successful brand strategy and executions Has a successful track record of coordinating and directing international expansion Knows when to delegate, and when to get intimately involved in the detail Has experience in brand marketing, delivering impactful and visually attractive campaigns across touchpoints to drive purchase behaviour Has experience in Retail environments, supporting our network of 180+ retail locations through campaigns designed to maximise visibility and customer attention Has experience working in a family business Is thoughtful & collaborative with strong communication skills and a passion for learning Is gritty, resilient, candid, and operates with honesty, integrity, and a willingness to share learning and knowledge. Is a strong advocate for personal and team development Adapts quickly to change and juggles con?icting demands calmly when under pressure Has a passion for footwear, a sense of humour, and a general drive to just get things done!

Benefits/Package for our Ecommerce and Marketing Director:

Salary: Generous plus LTIP, annual bonus scheme, PMI cover, car allowance, death in service plus: + Generous Colleague Discount
+ Holiday Entitlement (Increases with service)
+ Company Contribution Pension
+ Access to RetailTRUST (Wellbeing Support)
+ Access to RetailCURE (Financial Support)
+ Access to the Pavers Foundation: an employee-led grant application and charitable giving scheme


The Pavers story began in York in 1971 when Catherine Paver took out a 200 bank loan (for a sofa she told them) to fund her new business. She had big dreams of changing the world of footwear and a passion to provide comfortable and stylish shoes for all.


Starting small, she sold shoes at village halls and homeware parties before opening the first Pavers shop in Scarborough in 1981, when Catherine's three sons joined the business. One of her sons, Stuart, ran the business as Managing Director for over 40 years, joined by his son Jason in 2016. As of September 2023, Jason Paver is now the Managing Director of Pavers Ltd, with Stuart Paver moving to Chairman, taking the company into the 3rd generation of family run leadership.


From these modest beginnings, Pavers Shoes has grown to be a UK leader in today's footwear industry, with over 180 stores nationwide encompassing our more recently acquired brands including Jones Bootmaker, Herring Shoes, Padders & Van Dal.


We remain acquisitive, highly profitable, and are an ever-growing, independent family-run business, employing over 1,900 people.


We were delighted to receive recognition as a 3Employer with

'World Class'

levels of workplace engagement and the

'2nd Best Retailer to Work For'

by Best Companies in November 2024. At Pavers, we attribute the talents, passion, and dedication of our colleagues as the reasons for our success.

Contact Us:

recruitment@pavers.co.uk