PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• To build a well balanced, customer focused range, working closely with QA & Merch teams to ensure the product range is sufficiently innovative, driving the newness suitable for the needs of all business channels, as well as fitting within the total collection aesthetic and structure.
• Assist the Buyer in driving business initiatives, new products & on-boarding new suppliers, attending trade shows and networking opportunities.
• Drive new and innovative ideas for product development, working to pull together new season product briefs to present to suppliers. Managing sampling cost, lead times, with a solution focussed approach to challenges
• To drive best practise on quality standards, owning & managing consistency of process across supply base.
• To work collaboratively with the QA department throughout the development process to ensure sealing stages are running to critical path requirements, and meet quality standards, risk is pre-empted and preventative action taken.
• Accountable for the effective management of a complex critical path with varied lead times and suppliers, coaching the team in successful ways of working and maintained availability.
• Support product debrief meetings across functions for new seasons launches.
• Responsible for approval of seal samples and packaging, ensuring these fit within the brand aesthetic and guidelines.
• Owning commerciality of sample sign off in absence of a Buyer, demonstrate the ability to surface risk and propose solution at an early stage

Supplier Management

• Lead supplier reviews for the department, actively contributing to supplier scoring meetings. Responsible for negotiating new supplier set up terms, ensuring clear delivery and hand over to the relevant teams.
• To ensure that new season development is progressed efficiently and commercially. To manage the product brief timeline & sampling status.
• To work with suppliers to drive departmental efficiencies, improving ways of working and flexibility of supply.
• Confidently deliver top line business update summaries to suppliers with the ability to communicate department strategy with a supplier facing approach.
• Drive regular correspondence/meetings with supply base, sharing best & worst information, trading update and market knowledge.
• Ability to maintain successful working relationships professionally, despite challenging meetings or dispute.
• To manage department critical path by working collaboratively with the merchandising and QA teams to pre-empt issues, take preventative action and escalating where appropriate.

Commercial Awareness

• Ability to deputise for Buyer in running weekly CP meetings ensuring all stakeholders are present and action points agreed and escalated.
• Active lead in creating Strategy packs for the new season development at category level. Presenting conclusion to Buyer / HOB to feed into top line department strategy.
• To have an excellent understanding of the target customer through regular store visits & be pro-active in seeking customer feedback from all business channels.
• Present with confidence and an ability to summarise key point under time pressure to deliver required outcome. Operate with a level of seniority of personal conduct which demonstrates understanding and experience.
• To demonstrate proficient range building skills within their own category. Apply store & customer profiling within a considered range construction.
• To understand the key sales, profit and margin drivers across the business and the impact of your individual responsibility area & general role.
• Utilise weekly & seasonally available analysis of sales, mark down & returns to draw lessons and efficiently communicate this with the wider team
• Challenge open costing’s and close price negotiations confidently and display a good understanding of the variable factors within the costing and the impact of these.
• To have a strong working knowledge of all systems and use to support buying decisions as necessary.

Management, Training and Development

• Actively contribute to wider department initiatives & special projects, packaging, web & social, freight & duty etc. promoting X function interaction
• To continually review processes, initiating improvements in best practise as necessary
• To positively manage the development of the AB and BA on a day to day basis, under Buyer /HOB guidance, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their work.
• Agree the training support documentation for use by wider business

WHAT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE YOU’LL NEED

• Design/creative background preferable.
• Excellent creative and commercial ability; an eye for product and brand, Strong negotiation skills
• Established Assistant Buyer
• Product Development experience preferable

OUR ROLE

This Junior Buyer role offers responsibility for a specific product area to plan, source and develop, and reports into Buyer. The Junior Buyer will work collaboratively with Quality Assurance & Merchandising to ensure range is the correct balance of product that meets sales, margin & profit objectives. In addition the Junior Buyer will manage & develop the junior members of the team whilst working closely with Buyer/HOB to develop a robust sourcing & supply chain.