Assistant Buyer - Level 2 (Wovens) - 9 Month FTC

Our Role

To assist the Buyer with ensuring that sales and profit targets are met through the development of a commercial, well balanced product range in keeping with Brand objectives. To take responsibility for a specific product areas/ranges and manage junior team members.

What you'll be doing

Product Development

1. To assist the Buyer and Junior Buyer in building a balanced, commercial and sufficiently innovative product range suitable for the needs of all business channels.
2. With guidance from the Buyer and Junior Buyer to take responsibility for developing a specific product area/ranges.
3. To source new products and negotiate prices for sign off by the Buyer and Junior Buyer prior to selection.
4. Have some experience with open costing negotiations.
5. To propose new and creative ideas for product development.
6. Assist in creating initial product strategy packs for new season development.
7. To ensure that all product line lists and product sheets are correctly maintained on the system in line with departmental deadlines, to challenge where necessary.
8. To have an understanding of cost price management, with particular reference to imported products and exchange rates.
9. To ensure efficient and commercial sample and fabric swatch management across all our sampling requirements.
10. To approve bulk fabric, yarns, and packaging according to brand guidelines.
11. To ensure that the key assumptions behind the critical path are well managed to ensure all critical dates are achieved. To flag business risk in a pro-active manner as a result of process controls.
12. To work with the QA Department to ensure that any potential quality issues are resolved prior to full production, to identify and manage risk.
13. To assist the buyer and Junior Buyer in fit meetings alongside QA ensuring high quality fit and finesse. Fit experience required.
14. Previous experience working on woven product categories.

Supplier Management

1. To maintain regular communication lines with suppliers to tackle issues in a timely manner. To escalate issues as necessary to the Buyer and Junior Buyer in order to protect this partnership.
2. To ensure that our supplier details are fully up to date, and to assess whether their capacity to supply our business and achieve growth/brand objectives is in place.
3. Assist the Buyer and Junior Buyer in managing the supply base strategy, in a commercial way.
4. Manage the preparation of product brief sheets in a timely manner and with a realistic and commercial approach, challenging required content.
5. Manage the co-ordination and development of all samples and necessary information to enable selection meetings to run efficiently and to ensure deadlines are met.
6. To provide constructive feedback to suppliers after selection meetings on samples.
7. Undertake supplier visits and review meetings to improve knowledge of the business and to improve supplier relationships and manage performance.
8. To ensure that suppliers accept and adhere to our supplier manual and terms.

Commercial Awareness

1. To undertake regular store visits - ideally at least every two months.
2. To undertake competitor visits on a regular basis and feedback any relevant points for product development.
3. To have a good understanding of the target customer and emerging trends.
4. To consistently deliver excellent standards of customer service, to be pro-active in seeking customer feedback from all business channels.
5. To understand the key sales, profit, and margin drivers across the business and the impact of your role on these.
6. To develop a robust understanding of the weekly pack and sales by line reports, in order to propose trading actions, repeats and markdowns and to identify opportunities across all channels.
7. To work with the Buyer and Merchandising team to review line level performance and agree decisions on which lines to continue or discontinue.
8. To present best and worst product at meetings with evaluation on performance.

Analytical support

1. To prepare appropriate analysis to support product, retail and Direct performance reviews.
2. To develop a thorough working knowledge of the D365 system and assist in the maintenance of the system.
3. To ensure we maintain accurate and tidy filing systems at all times.

Management, Training and Development

1. To continually review processes and controls, initiating improvements in best practice as necessary.
2. To assist in the development and training of the BA, identifying areas of ‘stretch’.
3. To manage two BAAs on a day to day basis ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their work.
4. To adopt a positive and proactive approach to training and development, to participate fully in all team related activities. To work closely with other Buying and Merchandising teams to identify best practice.
5. To ensure that stores, web team and call centre receive product communication as necessary, challenge opportunities to improve sales performance.

The skills & experience that you’ll need

1. Relevant experience in a Head Office Buying role.
2. System skills including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
3. Relevant fashion/design degree preferred.
4. Product Development experience.
5. An experienced AB, already be operating at this level.
6. Relevant management experience.

What we’ll offer you

At The White Company, we value our employees for always going the extra mile for every one of our customers; we reward this with great benefits and competitive salaries.

1. Discount - Up to 50% discount and access to regular Sample Sales.
2. Holiday - 23 days rising to 25 with length of service.
3. Holiday Buy – opportunity to buy up to 5 days holiday.
4. Pension Scheme - enrolled in our Group Personal Pension schemes upon joining the business.
5. Bonus - In addition to our competitive salaries, all our employees are entitled to join a discretionary bonus scheme (based on policy eligibility).
6. Perkplace Benefits Platform – offering a variety of discounts across well-being and lifestyle.
7. Wagestream Money Management app - access to Wagestream gives you power over your pay and supports financial wellbeing.
8. Continued Development – We offer structured support from our own in-house Learning and Development Hub.
9. Life Assurance.

Additional Benefits

1. Fruit basket daily.
2. Tea and coffee provided.
3. Working from Home - option to work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
4. Social - Christmas party/social events throughout the year.
5. Seasonal Sample Sales.
6. Volunteer Day - with a charity of your choice.
7. Great Location - Close to transport links - over ground Shepherds Bush station / underground White City & Wood Lane stations. Westfield shopping centre with shops restaurants/bars/cinema and gyms.

Our Equality Diversity and Inclusion statement of commitment

At The White Company we are committed to creating an inclusive culture that welcomes and celebrates a diversity of backgrounds and identities. We are working together to ensure our environment is one where people can bring their authentic selves to work, where their contribution is valued, ability enhanced, and perspective appreciated. Where difference is respected, encouraged, and celebrated. Where you can feel you belong. We are committed to an active Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process. We'd love you to join us on our journey.

Our Sustainability statement of commitment

We are committed to building a sustainable legacy that will enable a brighter future for people and our planet. We believe this should be reflected in everything we do.