Marks & Spencer
Senior Buyer - Brands - 12 Month FTC
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What's in it for you?
Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.
Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:
- 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
- Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
- Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
- Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
- Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
- Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
- Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
- 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
- One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you
What you'll do
- Promote & drive a clear understanding of M&S’ customer, ensuring the segments and demographics needs are understood and put at the heart of the product offer
- Work with teams to create, develop, and deliver product that excites the customer, sets M&S apart from their competitors and promotes the brand globally whilst ensuring the commercial targets are met; presenting strategy and range as appropriate and gaining buy in from the Leadership team.
- Work with Design to interpret and adapt to market trends and direction, ensuring that the conceptual range developed is differentiating and targeted to the needs of the customer, driving a digital mind-set through clear leadership on the online product strategy
- To analyse historical sales in line with trends and design direction to manage product mix parameters including price architecture, colour balance, shape and margin to deliver a highly commercial and balanced range
- Work closely with other buyers and technical, design, merchandising, marketing, channel teams inc International to review, influence and cohesively deliver both the global product strategy and ranges throughout the Buying process, embracing new WOW, and supporting the members to do so, focusing specifically on Product, Sourcing and Brand Direction
- Leading a trading culture across all levels of Spotting opportunities, chasing into new products and working with Merchandiser to ensure that failure is identified early and managed appropriately
- Work in collaboration with Sourcing Offices globally to develop appropriate supply routes enabling the Department to react to trade, as well as negotiating the best prices and lead times with supplier to achieve the gross margin buying target
- Contribute to the development of new / compelling deal mechanics for the customer that will drive business whilst maintaining brand integrity
- Understand and take accountability for achieving/exceeding profit targets
- Provide leadership and direction to the buying team as well as Sourcing Office product merchandisers to promote and foster a global team Maintain strong relationships with other functions linking into the BU (e.g. Marketing, Press, M&S.com, International)
- To demonstrate expert knowledge of the Departmental finished goods and materials supply base and support processes to ensure M&S’ scale and buying power is fully leveraged
- Build cross C&H network with clear lines of communication to maximise scale of purchasing
- Drive not only department strategy but also shape / influence the wider brand strategy across BU, C&H and Int C&H
- Identify and develop talent within team, benchmarking across GM peer group and promoting movement of people within the business
- Assist the International team to maximise M&S departmental sales during International Buying events
- Take accountability for additional BU and GM projects
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Who you are
- Technical Knowledge and proven track record of developing and trading highly commercial ranges that exceed sales / profit targets
- Proven buying experience with a major retailer
- Ability to initiate and build strong relationships with Design, Merchandising and Technology and Global Sourcing Offices where used
- In-depth knowledge of cost price negotiations and global sourcing and ability to collaborate with colleagues in Global Sourcing Offices (where used) to develop the supply base
- To develop and build a comprehensive product range including packaging which satisfies all customers’ future requirements
- Understanding and delivery of the concepts of brand strategy
- An in-depth knowledge of the current competitive market place
- Good understanding of global retail market place with the ability to identify relevant product trends
- Basic understanding of Merchandise Planning and ability to understand M&S Buying systems End to End and manage systems accountabilities for the Department
- Strong knowledge of materials used and understanding of material supply base, as well as external market conditions including key economic, political and social shifts
- Highly organised approach and commitment to closing and completing tasks
- Managing ambiguity effectively – providing clear guidance and planning to teams at all times
- Strong communication and influencing skills
- Ability to lead, coach and manage people to support development and drive success
- Multi task orientated with the ability to work to work to tight deadlines to the Buying critical path
- Proactively agree to take on Buying Lead/ Head of Buying responsibilities where required
- A digital and global mind-set that supports the growth of international and online business
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Everyone's Welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
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M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team.
Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact. We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process and we are happy to talk smart/flexible working.
From Merchandising and Marketing - Product Development and Design, through to Supply Chain and Space Planning - our mission is to bring stylish wardrobe, home and beauty essentials to our customers via an easy, inspiring shopping experience online and in store that will delight them every time.
As we accelerate the transformation of our business to suit the changing needs of our customer, we need results-driven colleagues that not only have a passion for our product, but a strong team working ethos, creativity and a healthy commercial drive to join us on our journey.
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