Buying Manager

V&C; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

V&C Associates is recruiting a Buying Manager across Womens Intimates for a progressive Middle Eastern brand. Relocation will be required; lingerie accounts for over 60% of the business, making this a pivotal commercial leadership role.

The successful candidate will build and lead a buying team of at least four, taking full ownership of the lingerie category from range strategy and supplier management through to goods arriving at the distribution centre.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Buying and/or Product Development experience, preferably in lingerie retailers/brands.
• Senior Buyer level or above with a proven track record in lingerie buying and product development.
• Excellent data analytics ability and confidence working with complex datasets.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with stakeholder management experience.
• Experience using AI tools within buying, planning or analysis.
• Experience working with suppliers in Bangladesh and/or China.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a buying team of at least four, owning the lingerie category from range strategy to goods delivery at the DC.
• Manage budgets and open-to-buy levels to achieve or exceed margin targets.
• Drive growth through range architecture, product selection and pricing.
• Conduct ongoing sales analysis, trends, and lifecycles to inform decisions with the Buying & Innovation Director.
• Maintain market awareness and benchmarking of value, price and product.
• Oversee supplier base (Bangladesh and China) and drive supplier process improvements.
• Ensure robust critical paths and on-time seasonal launches with internal stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Presentation skills

AI tools experience

Tools

AI tools for buying

Job description

V&C Associates has been exclusively retained to recruit a Buying Manager across Womans Intimates, a newly created role within a progressive, vertically integrated Middle Eastern brand, relocation will be required. Lingerie accounts for more than 60% of the business, spanning core and fashion underwear, making this a pivotal commercial leadership position.

This is a new management role. The successful candidate will build and lead a buying team of at least four, taking full ownership of the lingerie category from range strategy and supplier management through to goods arriving at the distribution centre.

Key Responsibilities

Category & Commercial Leadership

• Buy to agreed budgets and OTB (open-to-buy) levels, achieving or exceeding margin targets.
• Drive category growth through strong range architecture, product selection and pricing.
• Carry out ongoing sales analysis, evaluating trends and product life cycles, and make clear, data-led recommendations to the Buying & Innovation Director.
• Maintain a sharp awareness of the market and competitors, bench marking value, price and product.
• Manage and regularly evaluate the supplier base, currently in Bangladesh and China.
• Drive continuous improvement in supplier processes, delivery, quality, flexibility and innovation
• Own robust critical paths, working closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure on-time seasonal launches.
• Take accountability, with the buying team, for product through to delivery at the DC.
• Build, lead and develop a buying team of a minimum of four.
• Foster a high-performing, collaborative culture within a multicultural environment.

Key Performance Indicators

• Category growth: Deliver agreed growth through range architecture, product selection, pricing and product performance.
• Margin: Achieve target margin through effective sourcing, pricing, product mix and commercial decision-making.
• Innovation: Deliver measurable growth from new products, materials, concepts and category opportunities.
• Supplier performance: Improve delivery, lead times, flexibility, quality and innovation against agreed supplier KPIs.
• Cross-functional delivery: Ensure category initiatives and seasonal milestones land on time through effective collaboration with Design, Planning, Technical, Marketing, VM and E-commerce.

Candidate Profile

• A minimum of 10 years' experience in Buying and/or Product Development, currently at Senior Buyer level or above, gained with lingerie retailers or brands.
• Proven track record in lingerie buying and product development, with a genuine passion for product.
• Excellent analytical skills and confidence working with complex data.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Experience using AI tools within buying, planning or analysis.
• Experience working with suppliers in Bangladesh and/or Chin