Assistant Buyer

National Trust; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10% of basic salary

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days + buy

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Free parking at most Trust places

Job summary

National Trust is hiring an Assistant Buyer to join the retail team on a 12 month fixed-term contract at our Swindon office. You will help grow the Home, Garden and Plants business by developing ranges and engaging supporters, while collaborating with UK and Far East suppliers.

You will be highly organised, manage multiple critical paths, and negotiate to achieve KPIs. There is flexibility on location with two days per week in the Swindon head office and 40–60% of time at National Trust

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the UK retail market and supply base for the relevant product areas.
• Understanding of product design and manufacturing processes.
• Experience of range building, product management and understanding of the drivers for customer satisfaction, repeat business, spend, margins and profitability.
• Knowledge of buying planning systems.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and communication skills.
• Experience in ensuring policies, frameworks and standards are fully implemented.

Responsibilities

• Assist in creating ranges that link back to cause and engage supporters, extending the Trust's reach.
• Be highly organised, prioritise workload and manage multiple critical paths.
• Work with UK and Far East suppliers and manage the buying cycle from development to delivery.
• Negotiate effectively and build strong internal and external relationships to meet KPIs.
• Support the Merchandising team and maintain product quality and availability.

Skills

UK retail market

Product design

Range building

Product management

Buying planning systems

Negotiation & communication

Job description

Summary

We're looking to recruit an Assistant Buyer to join our retail team at the National Trust on a 12 month fixed-term contract. You'll work with the Buyer to grow the Home, Garden and Plants business commercially and in new and innovative directions, identifying and developing new opportunities to meet budgets.

What it's like to work here

This is an exciting time to join as we prioritise our long-term commercial growth plans alongside ensuring our offer is competitive and matches current market trends.?

?
Your contractual location will be our head office in Swindon and there will be an expectation for you to work from this office two days per week. However, there is flexibility on where you are based at other times. You will be required to work at a National Trust location for 40-60% of your working week. This will be discussed in more detail at interview.

What you'll be doing

You're responsible for helping to create ranges that link back to cause, engaging both the organisation and our supporters - and in turn extending the Trust's reach and emotional connection to our audiences.

You'll be highly organised with excellent time management skills, able to prioritise your workload effectively while managing multiple critical paths. With proven experience in retail buying, you'll be confident working with both UK and Far East suppliers. You'll also have a strong track record of managing the buying cycle, from development through to delivery.

You'll be a strong negotiator and will build solid relationships internally especially with the Merchandising team and externally with suppliers to achieve team KPIs. You'll be a perceptive Assistant Buyer who is passionate about product, with great interpersonal skills.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what's possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

You'll bring a broad range of the following knowledge,?skills?and experience, shaped by?different roles, sectors or career paths, and the judgment to apply them effectively at scale;?

• Knowledge of the UK retail market and supply base for the relevant product areas
• Understanding of product design and manufacturing processes
• Experience of range building, product management and understanding of the drivers for customer satisfaction, repeat business, spend, margins and profitability
• Knowledge of buying planning systems
• Strong interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and communication skills
• Experience in ensuring policies, frameworks and standards are fully implemented

The package

The National Trust has the motto 'For everyone, for ever' at its heart. We're working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It's important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we're for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places