Senior Buyer

Fortnum & Mason; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A distinguished food retailer in the City of Westminster is looking for a Senior Buyer to develop and implement the ambient food strategy. The role involves leading the buying team, ensuring product quality, and driving sales growth. Ideal candidates will have over 5 years of experience in a buying role, a passion for food, and strong negotiation skills. The position offers a competitive salary and various benefits including discounts and holiday time.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous store and restaurant discount up to 40%

25 days holiday plus an extra day for your birthday

Subsidised staff restaurant

Professional development opportunities

Excellent pension scheme

Qualifications

• Plus 5 years' experience in a buying role, ideally within ambient food.
• Understanding of current sustainability challenges and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of product offerings in ambient food categories.
• Inspire and manage the buying team, ensuring strong performance.
• Develop and maintain the supply base with a focus on quality.

Skills

Strong negotiation skills

Team management

Market trend awareness

Relationship management

Attention to detail

Commercial awareness

Influencing skills

Job description

As a Senior Buyer you will develop and implement the ambient food strategy and plan, in line with our overarching business strategy, ensuring customer experience and sustainability are at the heart of the offering. You will develop a 'fit for the future' supply base for our ambient food ranges, with a focus on innovation, creativity & quality. You will support and develop your buying teams.,

• Lead the development of the product offer for your categories, ensuring that clear strategies and commercial plans are developed, implemented, and executed to drive strong sales growth, profit and excellent quality standards
• Develop the supply base to ensure we have the right mix of artisanal quality to underpin our food excellence ambitions, as well as suppliers with the scale to support our growth ambitions and international expansion
• Maintain your knowledge of market trends and competitor intelligence and benchmark appropriately
• Review opportunities for new product categories
• Support and develop your team by providing and sharing knowledge on good buying foundations, supply base, market, and competitor analysis your colleagues around the business with product knowledge and inspiration
• Support Buyers in their management of the critical paths and plans to deliver on time deliveries in accordance with the buying calendar and ensure accuracy of information
• Inspire, manage, and coach the team in line with good industry practices and ensuring our teams are valued, respected and empowered
• Support the development of clear ways of working and processes that support agility and creativity to deliver extraordinary, quality product
• Inspire the wider business with passion for extraordinary product
• Strong commercial and competitor awareness
• Plus 5 years' experience in a buying role, ideally within ambient food
• Understanding of current sustainability challenges and opportunities across the globe
• Able to articulate complex situations in a simple manner
• Able to deliver presentations across all areas of the business with a key eye on our customer and market needs
• Critical path management and able to try and improve lead times and supply base
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills with a focus on margin and risk
• Great relationship management and able to build strong performing team
• High level of product specific knowledge, with a strong palate & eye for design
• Attention to detail across areas of the product cycle
• A huge passion for food including current trends across different markets
• Competitive salary
• A generous store and restaurant discount of up to 40%
• 25 days holidays (excluded bank holidays) and an extra day off for your birthday
• A fantastic subsidised staff restaurant which uses Fortnum's ingredients
• A range of opportunities to develop and grow personally and professionally
• Excellent pension scheme