Assistant Buyer - Wovens in London

Our Role
To assist the Senior 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. To take responsibility for specific product areas/ranges and manage junior team members.

What you’ll be doing

• Product Development
  To assist the Senior Buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer in building a balanced, commercial and sufficiently innovative product range suitable for the needs of all business channels. With guidance from the Senior Buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer to take responsibility for developing a specific product area/ranges. To source new products and negotiate prices for sign off by the Buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer prior to selection. Have some experience with open costing negotiations. To propose new and creative ideas for product development. Assist in creating initial product strategy packs for new season development. To ensure that all product line lists and product sheets are correctly maintained on the system in line with departmental deadlines, to challenge where necessary. To have an understanding of cost price management, with particular reference to imported products and exchange rates. To ensure efficient and commercial sample, fabric swatch management on the department across all our sampling requirements. To approve bulk fabric, yarns, packaging according to brand guidelines. To ensure that the key assumptions behind the critical path are well managed to ensure all critical dates are achieved. To flag business risk in a pro‑active manner as a result of process controls. To work with the QA Department to ensure that any potential quality issues are resolved prior to full production, to identify and manage risk. To assist the buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer in fit meetings alongside QA ensuring high quality fit and finesse. Fit experience required. Previous experience working on woven product categories.
• Supplier Management
  To maintain regular communication lines with suppliers to tackle issues in a timely manner. To escalate issues as necessary to the Senior Buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer in order to protect this partnership. To ensure that our supplier details are fully up to date, and to assess whether their capacity to supply our business and achieve growth/brand objectives is in place. Assist the Senior Buyer and Senior Assistant Buyer in managing the supply base strategy, in a commercial way. Manage the preparation of product brief sheets in a timely manner and with a realistic and commercial approach, challenging required content. Manage the co‑ordination and development of all samples and necessary information to enable selection meetings to run efficiently and to ensure deadlines are met. To provide constructive feedback to suppliers after selection meetings on samples. Undertake supplier visits and review meetings to improve knowledge of the business and to improve supplier relationships and manage performance. To ensure that suppliers accept and adhere to our supplier manual and terms.
• Commercial Awareness
  To undertake regular store visits – ideally at least every two months. To undertake competitor visits on a regular basis and feedback any relevant points for product development. To have a good understanding of the target customer and emerging trends. To consistently deliver excellent standards of customer service, to be pro‑active in seeking customer feedback from all business channels. To understand the key sales, profit and margin drivers across the business and the impact of your role on these. To develop a robust understanding of the weekly pack and sales by line reports, in order to propose trading actions, repeats and markdowns and to identify opportunities across all channels. To work with the Buyer and Merchandising team to review line level performance and agree decisions on which lines to continue or discontinue. To present best and worst product at meetings with evaluation on performance.
• Analytical Support
  To prepare appropriate analysis to support product, retail and Direct performance reviews. To develop a thorough working knowledge of the D365 system and assist in the maintenance of the system. To ensure we maintain accurate and tidy filing systems at all times.
• 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 BAA, identifying areas of ‘stretch’. To manage two BAAs 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 work closely with other Buying and Merchandising teams to identify best practice. To ensure that stores, web team and call centre receive product communication as necessary, challenge opportunities to improve sales performance.

Skills & Experience
Relevant experience in a Head Office Buying role as an experienced AB, already be operating at this level is essential. System skills including Excel, Word and Outlook. Relevant fashion/design degree preferred. Product Development experience is a must have. Relevant management experience essential.

Benefits
Discount – Up to 50% discount and access to regular Sample Sales. Holiday – 23 days rising to 25 with length of service. Holiday Buy – opportunity to buy up to 5 days holiday. Pension Scheme – enrolled in our Group Personal Pension schemes upon joining the business. Bonus – In addition to our competitive salaries, all our employees are entitled to join a discretionary bonus scheme (based on policy eligibility). Perkplace Benefits Platform – offering a variety of discounts across well‑being and lifestyle. Wagestream Money Management app – access to Wagestream gives you power over your pay and supports financial wellbeing. Continued Development – We offer structured support from our own in‑house Learning and Development Hub. Life Assurance.

Additional Benefits
Fruit basket daily. Tea and coffee provided. Working from Home – option to work from home on Mondays and Fridays. Social – Christmas party/social events throughout the year. Seasonal Sample Sales. Volunteer Day – with a charity of your choice. Great Location – Close to transport links – over ground Shepherds Bush station/underground White City & Wood Lane stations. Westfield shopping centre with shops, restaurants, bars, cinema and gyms.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
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. We’d love you to join us on our journey.

Sustainability Statement
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.