quality specialist jobs

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.

Key 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

Essential skills/experience you’ll need -

• 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.

Desirable skills/experience you may have -

• Category specific knowledge, passion or experience.

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About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note:

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.