Assistant Buyer – L2 Fragrance

To assist the Buyer with ensuring that sales and profit targets are met through the development of a commercial, well balanced product range in keeping with Brand objectives. With increased responsibility in a given category or area, demonstrate excellent market awareness as well as flair for innovation. To manage and develop the junior members of the team as appropriate.

Product Development

• To assist the Buyer in building a balanced, customer focused range, working closely with Design & Creative teams to ensure the product range is sufficiently innovative, driving the newness suitable for the needs of all business channels.
• Assist the Buyer in diving business initiatives, new products & onboarding new suppliers.
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of product construction/fit with the ability to contribute to product reviews.
• Ability to propose recommendations on lab dips and bulk submissions.
• To work closely with the QA department throughout the development process to ensure sealing stages are running to critical path requirements, that we can meet quality standards, highlighting product risk where necessary.
• Manage a complex critical path with varied lead times, ability to work efficiently across seasons ensuring key dates and risk is managed appropriately.
• To ensure that all product line lists, and product sheets are correctly maintained on the system in line with departmental deadlines.
• Support product business meetings across functions, shoot outfitting, store training. Participating as an ambassador for your product areas.
• Understanding of your target margin and the ability to highlight areas of risk.
• Manage department space efficiently with junior team.

Supplier Management

• To maintain regular communication with suppliers and to tackle issues in a timely manner.
• To escalate risk as necessary to the Buyer in order to protect this partnership and manage any poor performance effectively.
• Manage the coordination of product brief sheets to samples and necessary information to enable selection meetings to run efficiently and to ensure deadlines are met.

Commercial Awareness

• Building strong relationships with both internal & external business partners.
• Ability to deputise for Buyer in running weekly CP meetings ensuring all stakeholders are present and action points agreed and escalated.
• To have a good understanding of the target customer through regular store visits & be proactive in seeking customer feedback from all business channels.
• To undertake store visits and competitor appraisals. Completing thorough assessment and recommendations on both trading, price positioning and product development for UK & US market.
• To understand the key sales, profit and margin drivers across the business and the impact of your individual responsibility area & general role.
• To develop a robust understanding of the weekly pack and sales by line reports, in order to propose trading actions, to identify opportunities across all channels and trade open to buy.
• For a designated product area to demonstrate proficient range building skills. Involvement in store & customer profiling to gain further understanding on range construction planning.
• Contribute to departmental Strategy seasonally, feeding in both research & performance feedback.
• Receive and challenge open costings, display a good understanding of the costing model.
• Demonstrate a clear passion for your area, with an eagerness to increase understanding, taking pride in your product, presentation, accuracy & new challenges.

Management, Training and Development

• To continually review processes and controls, initiating improvements in best practice as necessary.
• To assist in the development and training of the BA’s, identifying areas of ‘stretch’.
• To manage the BA on a day-to-day basis ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their work.
• To adopt a positive and proactive approach to training and development, to participate fully in all team related activities.
• To ensure that stores, web team and call centre receive product communication as necessary, challenge opportunities to improve sales performance.
• Create training support documentation for use by wider business, White Pages & Business Handover Pack.

What skills & experience you’ll need

• Extensive experience in a Head Office Buying role, working at Assistant Buyer level, within hardlines. With ownership of your product area.
• System skills including Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Experience presenting to senior management in weekly trade, range planning and sign off meetings.
• Managing the development and day-to-day support of a buying admin assistant.

Our Equality Diversity and Inclusion statement of commitment

At The White Company we are committed to creating an inclusive culture that welcomes and celebrates a diversity of backgrounds and identities. We are working together to ensure our environment is one where people can bring their authentic selves to work, where their contribution is valued, ability enhanced, and perspective appreciated. Where difference is respected, encouraged, and celebrated. Where you can feel you belong. We are committed to an active Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process.

Our Sustainability statement of commitment: We are committed to building a sustainable legacy that will enable a brighter future for people and our planet. We believe this should be reflected in everything we do.