Buying Section Manager

Core Responsibilities:

• Develop the commercial skills, product knowledge, customer understanding and leadership skills of the buying team. Ensure that teams have clear understanding of their roles and development needs and provide coaching, training and performance management as needed to lift skill and performance of the team.
• Work with together with Merchandise Planning Manager to ensure product selection in each brand will deliver our targeted sales and GP growth, and that we are reacting to performance and trends in season to adjust our plan and maximise sales. Ensure that our buying takes an end-to-end approach to P&L and we deliver our monthly EBIT target.
• Work with the Creative Director to ensure we have clear execution of the brand identity, and that our product selection reflects our target customers and their motivations to buy. Ensure that we build long term brand value and loyalty in how we select ranges and how we trade.
• Study both competitors and market data to identify trends for new product types or styles, or for changes to customer behaviour. Attend trade fairs and events to identify third party ranges we can add to our multi-brand stores, or to find inspiration with our design team for new collections on our own label ranges.
• Work with our sourcing and development teams to find ways to make our development and buying process faster, more cost efficient, and more reactive to sales trends.
• Work with visual merchandising, marketing teams, and retail teams, to ensure key stories and our highlight styles are understood and communicated clearly to customers, and that we have a clear plan for product launch and communications.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 5+ years experience in fashion role, with accountability for selecting ranges and for sales and profit
• Experience leading a team and working cross-functionally with retail, marketing and sourcing teams.
• Proficiency in outlook, excel, word, powerpoint.
• Proficient in spoken and written English

Personal Profile:

• Passion for fashion and detailed knowledge of either shoes or garments
• Confident and comfortable presenting, persuading and inspiring teams
• Entrepreneurial with willingness to take calculated risks and lead teams through change
• Professional demeanour with high honesty and personal responsibility