About the Brand

New Spanish based brand whose vision is to create a high-quality wardrobe for modern and anti-conformist women.

Obsessed with contrasts, the brand will offer meticulously crafted collections, with a wide understanding of femininity allowing all women to build their own identity.

Inspired by French codes mixed with a fresh mediterranean touch, our designs embody versatility and boldness, always with a guiding thread: styling and playing with garments to match everyday mood and empower women.

Working alongside a newly created team in Northern Spain with strong links to the UK based Next head office, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new brand launch.

Role Purpose:

To propose and gain agreement to the business plan for their department and to create and deliver a profitable and commercial range which maximises sales. To deliver a product range capable of achieving profit parameters.

Role Responsibilities

• Plans the range according to future trends that take into account range construction, pricing architecture, seasonal variations, the buying and sourcing policies, target market and competitors
• Together with the Merchandiser and Designer, reviews and plans future supplier strategy for their department, identifying sourcing requirement where appropriate
• Continuously reviews the customer profile across all facets of the business and develops products accordingly, demonstrating brand and customer awareness
• Creates stories, pallets and key items according to the Design and Buying Trend Critical Path
• Inspires the team and provides leadership and training to ensure the team are developed and skills are improved
• Manages their resources and workload effectively in order to achieve their department’s business plan. This will involve controlling set budgets, prioritising workflow and conducting regular team reviews to ensure deadlines and targets are met
• Coaches and develops their team to ensure they maximise performance levels. This will include regular performance appraisals to set and review objectives along with an assessment of individual performance
• Liaises with supplier base to ensure that sampling and cost prices are received on time to meet critical dates / deadlines
• Effectively communicates the product strategy to suppliers whilst retaining confidential information to protect the brand
• Assesses the capability of new / existing suppliers to deliver their part of the range on time and within price structure and sources new suppliers where necessary
• Carries out seasonal supplier SWOTs, taking action where necessary, working with Sourcing Director and feedbacks seasonal results to supplier / brands on performance
• Proactively contributes ideas to the business to help it continue to deliver a winning performance
• Uses resilience, passion and energy to achieve the right results
• Develops and maintains good working relationships with the suppliers so that issues such as late deliveries, quality, costs can be effectively managed
• Places a high emphasis on the quality of the product and works with Technical to analyse returns reports, taking corrective action where necessary, agrees and controls standards of suppliers, examines quality of product in stores, communicates standards to the team
• Manages and attends weekly trade meetings updating on key departmental issues
• Presents new season product direction with Designer and Merchandiser
• Reviews range frequently with Merchandiser to ensure product selection is commercial and reacting to sales, proposing repeats, restyling and cancelling of stock as required
• Effectively communicates the Buying and Design vision by phase to the Company (Full Phase Review), creating style guides to support the VM team and by managing the wholesale handover and presenting a coordinated collection, samples amended where necessary, colour swatches and CADs correctly labelled
• Works with Design and Technical to engineer products into commercial price point structure
• Strives to deliver the best customer experience through product, price points and value for money
• Is commercial to trade in season – repeating, cancelling, re-styling
• Has excellent customer awareness across retail, web, franchise and wholesale
• Ensures knowledge of current and potential market / fashion trends, business opportunities and risk for their area is up to date and included in their proposed range
• Identifies late buys, missed opportunities and reacts to these in trade meetings
• Ensures the development process is continuous and that they optimise the use of trials and late buys
• Has ownership of OTB and option count and pricing structure and develops accordingly

Technical Requirements

• Currently working at Buyer for a womenswear brand
• Have proven success at buying for your own area
• Have expertise within the desired product area
• Demonstrates passion and energy to be inspiring to others and deliver improved results
• Self-motivated and engages those around us
• Proactive, vibrant and spirited and rises to challenges
• Remains profit focused at all times
• Builds and maintains strong collaborative relationships
• Proven experience managing and developing a team
• Thrives in working in a fast paced and growing business
• Excellent communication skills and supplier management
• Highly organised with the ability to plan ahead and have a flexible approach and be reactive when necessary
• Fabrics knowledge
• Garment production knowledge