Buyer - Makeup & International

Harrods Limited; Knightsbridge; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Harrods seeks a Buyer to own the Makeup Department, delivering brand and product strategy across Beauty in a fast-paced luxury retail setting. You will manage the category lifecycle end-to-end, lead brand negotiations, and build strong supplier relationships to drive innovation and commercial performance.

This fixed-term contract runs until July 2027, with a hybrid working pattern and a mix of on-site and home working.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Buying role, preferably in luxury or premium retail.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• High level of commercial awareness and analytical ability, with proficiency in Excel and retail systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning of products in Beauty, aligned with customer demand, trends, and divisional strategy.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with brands and suppliers, including contract negotiation, trading terms, and performance reviews.
• Drive trading performance by monitoring brand and department KPIs, identifying opportunities, and adapting strategies to meet business objectives.
• Collaborate with internal teams on visual merchandising, marketing, online content, and customer events to enhance brand presentation and customer engagement.
• Provide leadership to the Assistant Buyer and contribute to talent development and succession planning across the Buying function.
• Depending on your role, you may be fully on-site or have a mix of on-site and home working – this is what we refer to ‘Hybrid’.

Skills

Buying experience

Negotiation

Commercial awareness

Communication

Analytical thinking

Tools

Excel

Retail systems

Job description

We’re looking for a Buyer to take ownership of our Makeup Department. This role is a fixed-term contract until July 2027.

About the Role

As a Buyer, you will play a pivotal role in defining and executing the brand and product strategy for Beauty across all retail platforms. Reporting to the Buying Manager, you'll manage your category's buying lifecycle end-to-end, lead brand negotiations, and cultivate cross-functional and supplier relationships that drive innovation and commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning of products in Beauty, aligned with customer demand, trends, and divisional strategy.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with brands and suppliers, including contract negotiation, trading terms, and performance reviews.
• Drive trading performance by monitoring brand and department KPIs, identifying opportunities, and adapting strategies to meet business objectives.
• Collaborate with internal teams on visual merchandising, marketing, online content, and customer events to enhance brand presentation and customer engagement.
• Provide leadership to the Assistant Buyer and contribute to talent development and succession planning across the Buying function.
• Depending on your role, you may be fully on-site or have a mix of on-site and home working – this is what we refer to ‘Hybrid’.

Our hybrid working policy allows colleagues to work from home for part of the week, with a minimum of three days on-site, depending on business needs. Please see our Hybrid@Harrods policy on our Career Site for more information or speak to a member of our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions regarding the requirements for this role.

About You

You will be a commercially minded, customer-focused professional with a strong background in buying, ideally within the luxury retail sector. With a passion for Beauty, you’ll thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Confident in negotiations, creative in thinking, and data-driven in decision-making, you balance commercial acumen with an eye for product and innovation.

• Proven experience in a Buying role, preferable in luxury or premium retail.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• A high level of commercial awareness and analytical ability, with proficiency in Excel and retail systems.

About Us

Harrods is one of the world’s leading luxury department stores and we’re becoming a destination for top designers, and the most sought-after brands from around the globe. Our combined mission is to make visiting our iconic Knightsbridge store one of the world’s most inspiring shopping experiences.

Our Promise to You Help us make the impossible possible for our customers and we’ll do something remarkable for you. As well as offering a friendly environment to inspire your best work, we provide abundant opportunities and support to build an exceptional career across the varied specialisms of our business.

Uniquely You Whilst our job adverts outline the ideal qualities, skills, and prior experience for the role, we believe in the potential for growth and value individual strengths. If you can demonstrate the majority of skills and strong experience to thrive in this role, we would encourage you to apply. At Harrods we believe the personality and authenticity of our people sets us apart. We celebrate and invite applications from all cultures, backgrounds, tastes, and experiences and are proud of our culture where people from all walks of life can grow and thrive. What makes you unique makes us exceptional.

If you want to know more about life at Harrods, search #TogetherHarrods on LinkedIn, or follow us on Instagram @togetherharrods.

Additional Information

Time Type: Fixed Term (Fixed Term) Department: Buying Beauty (Lydia Mortezaee)

As one of the world’s most prestigious brands, and a highly sought-after employer within luxury retail, we aim to provide a working environment in which we can exceed both our customers’ expectations and the expectations of each other. To maintain our high standards, we invest as heavily in our people as we do in our products and store. As well as offering an unforgettable experience for our customers, we offer an exciting, challenging and motivating environment for our employees. We demonstrate how we value our team through an extensive pay and benefits package, as well as through a number of programmes that reward and recognise employees for exceptional performance. Our employees can also accelerate their careers through opportunities to work with talented people, development training, and chances to raise their profile in the luxury retail sector.