Assistant Buyer

The Company: This role will be supporting the Buying team, as an Assistant Buyer. As an Assistant Buyer, you will support the Buyer in managing the end-to-end buying process, from concept through to production and shipment to retail customers. You will play a key role in coordinating orders and maintaining the critical path to ensure timely, cost-effective delivery in line with customer requirements and deadlines. You will assist in sourcing, selecting, and developing toy ranges with suppliers, working closely with Design teams to bring products to market. You will analyse market trends and consumer insights within the toy industry, supporting the development of commercially successful ranges aligned to retailer needs. You will help to manage supplier relationships, ensuring clear communication on specifications, costs, timelines and contribute to achieving margin and commercial targets. In addition, you will support the management of the critical path across the wider team, ensuring all milestones, from product development, sampling, QA compliance and testing through to production and shipment are all delivered on time. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including Design, Sales, and Quality Assurance, to meet retailer requirements, uphold safety and quality standards, and support successful product launches across global markets. Option to work from home one day a week in line with the business needs.

Responsibilities:

• Order Book Management: You will be responsible for critical path management. Manage purchase orders, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and adherence to budgetary guidelines. Coordinate with internal teams to track order status and resolve delivery discrepancies. Assisting the Buyer in managing late shipments. Documenting intake movements. Weekly reporting to the Buyer and Directors in orderbook meetings. Customer order communication.
• Buying Duties: Raise and send all the POs for new supplier orders. Work with customers to receive and log their PO’s. Raise item codes and barcodes. Create artwork briefs. Create shipping marks. Manage artwork through the business. This involves checking and approving product and packaging artwork for all new lines and orders. Create and maintain range plans by brand and by customer. With the support of the Buyer, manage and update the Critical Path whilst chasing in all orders. Check all pre-production and gold seal samples – completing all sample approval documentation and ensuring approval of the Buyer and customer before approving to factories. Sample management. Sample room organisation. Responsible for sending out and receiving deliveries of samples. Work with the QA team to ensure all testing is completed and QA approval on all orders. Assist with the development of new categories in line with business’s needs. Work with the sales team on new customer leads, sourcing and costing new products, sampling where required.
• Financial Support: Understand the invoices and packing lists for shipments. Understand the importance of hitting shipment dates and the impact it has on intake for the business.
• Supplier Management: Assist the Buyer with the management of existing supplier relationships. Assist with performance evaluations of suppliers to assess their ability to meet quality, cost, and delivery requirements. May need to help resolve supplier-related issues, current order issues and address any non-compliance, quality concerns or late shipment issues effectively and independently.
• Team Collaboration: Strive to assist in the development of a high-performing buying team as the business grows. Foster cross-functional collaboration with other departments, such as operations, finance, marketing and design, to ensure seamless execution of buying activities. Work with the Buyer to streamline the Buying department – constantly look for ways for the department to operate in a much leaner way, increasing and promoting creativity and productivity. Collaborate with commercial and design team to understand upcoming toy trends, consumer preferences, and market demands. Work closely with the Quality Assurance team to ensure compliance with safety standards, regulations, and certifications.