Buyer - Own Brand Girlswear

John Lewis Partnership • New London, CT

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

ABOUT THE ROLE We have an exciting opportunity to join our Own Brand Childrenswear team. This is a high profile role with opportunities to excel and build your profile across functions and directorates. We are looking for an experienced OB Buyer who uses their expert knowledge to plan and deliver the best range & proposition for customers within their category. Your remit will be to deliver agreed KPIs including sales, profit, stock & margin. You will be an experienced negotiator adept at independently managing supplier relationships. Working with your Merchandiser, you will analyse commercial input and market data from all channels to develop and bring to market own brand ranges, working alongside all relevant specialist functions to deliver a category assortment with a competitive pricing architecture & propositions. You will maximise opportunities as they arise and lead the in-season trading to potentialise the outcome for both customers and your category. You will be experienced in own brand development and sourcing and working closely with suppliers, design and sourcing teams develop market leading assortments. You will be a People Manager of your category team’s Buying Assistants, creating the conditions for them to thrive, and balancing their focus and priorities as required. Salary - £54,500 - £84,400 Salary Expectation - up to £58,000 depending on experience. Contract type - This contract is Fixed Term until May 2027. Working pattern/flexible working - This is a hybrid working role. The expectation is a minimum of 3 days per week in the office as team collaboration is critical in this role - core days will vary across teams. Location - This role is based at the Pimlico, London Office.

Requirements

• Retail Industry Experience: Proven extensive experience in the retail industry, with a focus on buying, category management, or product management within the designated category. Direct experience in buying practices, merchandising strategies, and supplier negotiations is essential for this role.
• Negotiation Skills: Good negotiation skills and experience in leading strategic commercial negotiations with suppliers and vendors to secure favourable terms and agreements, maximising value and profitability for the category.
• Category Expertise: In-depth knowledge and expertise within the designated category, including an understanding of product trends, customer preferences, and industry dynamics. Direct experience in range planning, product assortment development, and supplier management within the category is highly desirable.
• Communication Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate ideas, negotiate agreements, and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Category specific knowledge, passion or experience.

Responsibilities

• Support the Buying Manager in creating conditions for all Partners to thrive and achieve their potential
• Responsible for all commercial negotiations inclusive of marketing funds
• Support the Buying Manager in building a category & propositional strategy.
• Develop and buy market leading ranges, managing product lifecycle from launch to exit.
• Collaborate with specialist functions to plan and develop ranges.
• Collaborate with specialist functions to develop a sourcing strategy for your product assortment, delivering category margin targets & ensuring your supply base complies with all CSR and legal requirements.
• Collaborate with Merchandisers to prepare and share Standardised Range Plan, in line with critical path, to hand over to the Central Operations Team.
• Alongside Merchandiser, sign off product ranges and branch grading with Buying Manager, and Head of Category when required, using reporting from Product Operations.
• Propose Balance To Achieve across commercial KPIs for the assortment each month in collaboration with the Merchandiser

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed