Assistant Buyer

Location: Russell Square House

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: 36.25

Closing Date: 19 May 2026

Are you looking to pursue a career in buying? Do you have a passion for products and an interest in ecommerce? Are you highly organised with excellent attention to detail? If so, this could be the role for you! We're looking for an Assistant Buyer to join our New Goods team and help drive income for Retail & Trading at Barnardo's.

What you'll be doing:

• Working closely with our ecommerce Buyer on a day-to-day basis, playing a key support role for our online shop.
• Responsibility for a variety of administrative tasks, from liaising with suppliers to raising purchase orders and maintaining the critical path.
• Assisting with the sourcing and development of product ranges that meet the expectations of Barnardo's customers.
• Helping to create content for our online shop, so excellent written communication skills are a must.

What we're looking for:

• Knowledge of the retail buying process, critical paths and supply chains.
• Experience of working with buyers or merchandisers in a similar retail environment.
• Experience of using sales and product data to inform decision making.
• Experience of using a content management system and MS Excel.
• Experience of working with external suppliers.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment.

What we offer:

• Working hours are Monday-Friday with flexibility in location.
• A supportive, inclusive work culture with purpose at its core.
• Competitive salary and access to Barnardo's employee benefits.
• Development and training opportunities.
• The chance to make a real impact in the lives of children and young people.
• Generous holiday entitlement and pension scheme.

The funds raised through our Retail & Trading operations help provide vital support for our charitable mission, so join us now to play your part in changing childhoods and changing lives.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework:

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band; this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.

Benefits:

• Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum after 7 years Barnardo's service.
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme.
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options.
• Service related sick pay from day 1.
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's.
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension.
• Cycle2work scheme.
• Discounts and cashback from high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal.
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores.
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc.
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support.
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer.

About Barnardo's:

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do.

We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.