Senior Assistant Buyer

JR United Kingdom; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading affordable luxury footwear brand in the UK is seeking a Senior Assistant Buyer to join their Buying team. This role offers the opportunity for career advancement for experienced Assistant Buyers. Ideal candidates will have strong commercial awareness and negotiation skills. You will be responsible for building a commercial range, understanding trading figures, and liaising with suppliers. The company offers a blended working model, employee discounts, and a variety of perks.

Benefits

Blended working

60% employee discount

25 days holiday

Company pension scheme

Life assurance

Team socials

Access to employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Experience as an Assistant Buyer within a footwear retailer or supplier.
• Ability to manage priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to deputize for the Buyer when needed.

Responsibilities

• Build a commercial range under the supervision of the Buyer.
• Understand trading figures and their business impact.
• Monitor the product cycle from development to order.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Negotiation skills

Excellent communication

Delegation skills

Initiative

Job description

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Dune London is the leading affordable luxury footwear and accessories brand in the UK, with broad distribution across both the UK and internationally. It has 50 stores in the UK and over 100 in 25 countries around the world. The company is entering a period of sustained growth both through additional stores, expansion of sales on its online channels and through third party partners both in the UK and globally. Celebrating its 30th anniversary the group has over the years built an enviable position as the specialist in quality fashion footwear and accessories which has given it a unique position at the high end of the high street.

About the role

We now have an opportunity on our busy Buying team for a Senior Assistant Buyer. This is a great role for an established Assistant Buyer seeking their next step up or a current Senior AB seeking a change.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Demonstrate an excellent commercial awareness and to be aware of the other retailer activity and how this can affect Dune.
• Build a commercial range under the supervision of the Buyer, ability to present that range with authority to a team and to react to criticism positively. Taking responsibility for the trading of that range, showing reactivity and flexibility.
• Understand trading figures and their impact on the business, showing initiative on trade and putting forward recommendations to the Buyer.
• Liaise with suppliers on a day to day basis, ensuring excellent communication and follow through.
• Monitor the product cycle with regards to the development, confirmation samples orders’ negotiations.
• To have excellent knowledge of current and future ranges.
• Demonstrate good negotiation skills and have the confidence to present.
• Manage the BAAs to ensure all priorities are met and developed needs addressed, while also highlighting own development needs.

EXPERIENCE / SKILLS NEEDED:

• Experience as an Assistant Buyer within a footwear retailer / supplier.
• Display delegation skills, priorities within delegated tasks and manage deadlines.
• Ensure excellent communication and interaction with other departments within Dune and understanding of their role within.
• Show initiative in the job role.
• Ability to manage up as well as down.
• Deputise for the Buyer when needed for agreed periods.
• Display enthusiasm and present yourself professionally at all times.

About the perks

• Blended working – spreading your time across our office and remote working
• Brand new sustainable office in bustling West London (near Westfield)
• Friendly and open culture with flat structures allowing plenty of opportunity for development.
• Company growth and opportunity; Dune is opening new stores and channels and evolving all the time
• Open-minded company, welcoming thoughts and ideas to be shared
• Working with charitable organisations to help raise funds and give something back. Our current charity partner is Mental Health UK.
• 60% employee discount on Dune products – what’s not to love!
• 25 days holiday (plus the bank holidays)
• Cycle2work
• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance for all team members
• 3.00 p.m. finish every pay day Friday!
• Team socials and drinks – we like to have fun!
• Access to our employee assistance programme, retailTRUST, who provide loads of resources to support with wellbeing and personal development offer free counselling legal advice and financial guidance.
• Our own Wellbeing Allies – there to talk when you need them.

What happens next?

We will take a good look at your application and if we don’t feel we are right for you, we’ll make sure we let you know but sadly we are not able to give tailored feedback.

If we are excited to find out more about you, we will give you a call and arrange to talk.

A few things that might help:

• Research the brand, the role, your interviewer on LinkedIn; browse our website; and visit a store if you can
• Make sure you have plenty of examples to show off all your amazing skills and experience relevant to this role