Head of Buying

**Role**:Head of Buying

**Hours**: Full Time 37.5 hours per week, 9-5pm or 8-4pm - 5 days per week

**Location**: Hybrid: Chippenham HQ and Remote

**Reports to**: Directors

Exciting opportunity to join one of the Sunday Times' 100 Fastest Growing Businesses with a supportive and encouraging team culture. Furniturebox is looking for a Head of Buying to expand upon our team strategy, be an excellent team leader, maintain relationships with our suppliers and identifying new suppliers. Experience with buying and developing furniture is essential to hit the ground running with this role and take ownership of the team. This is a brand new role created to meet the needs of our business as it grows and we focus on expanding our product collections to drive our growth.

This is a hybrid role - ideally you are able to commute to our Chippenham HQ (SN15 5BD) a couple of times per month to collaborate with the team and fellow Senior Management and Directors. Sometimes in person will be required for key meetings. The majority of our product team is based in our Warminster office (BA12 8BT) so being able to travel here would also be beneficial on occasion.

**Head of Buying Responsibilities**:

- Responsible for creating, managing, and executing the buying strategy for new categories and collections
- Collaborate cross functionally with different departments to execute product launch strategies
- Provide effective end to end supply chain solutions from design through to distribution
- Reinforce the brand by ensuring the desired quality standards for design, finish, quality and price are adhered to
- Manage cost negotiations when needed to drive margin growth
- Oversee the buying calendar and order process to ensure that logístically all orders are placed in a well-planned & timely manner
- Evaluating our product gaps on a regular basis to make sure we're filling gaps and keeping up with the competition on trending designs and product types
- Oversee the product development team with critical path management, supporting with any queries to ensure shipment dates are met and availability is maximised
- Monitoring sales performance and working closely with the marketing team, ensuring collections are appropriately merchandised to help achieve sales forecasts
- Conduct regular reviews of collections with the team to ensure we have not missed any opportunities
- Use customer insights and feedback to maximise sales, propose new product opportunities and identify future growth areas
- Develop and build key relationships with new and existing suppliers working closely with them to obtain optimum product, prices and terms of contract
- Challenge working practices where appropriate to improve existing ways of working
- Effective communication across departments to ensure key stakeholders are aware of upcoming projects and how it impacts their teams and workflows
- Clear understanding of how your department plays an important role in company growth with new products being a key pillar of our growth plans
- Working alongside the Directors to source new suppliers and materials across Europe and Asia
- Commercial eye for furniture products and what's trending and will sell well to make judgement calls early on

**Your Leadership Qualities**:

- You're an excellent leader with experience developing expert teams and ensuring our positive and supportive team culture continues - this is **very** important to us
- You know what it means to be a great leader and put your people first - always empowering and developing their skills to meet the team objectives and their personal development goals
- You will be part of the Senior Management Team involved with the wider company strategy and direction and how your department plays a key role in that
- Setting a clear direction to ensure your team is aligned and working towards the department objectives, providing timely feedback and support to team members, and empowering others to make decisions and take action
- Working closely with your Buying Manager for actioning team strategy and plans

Our Head of Buying will work closely with other departments:

- **Oversees Teams**: including a supplier manager, quality control and merchandiser
- **Marketing Team**: for onboarding new products and ensuring they are promoted effectively to reach sales targets
- **Purchasing Team**: for ongoing forecasting
- **Compliance Team**: for product quality and compliance

**Your Product and Buying Team**:

- **Buying Manager**: will be on maternity leave from end of September and currently responsible for the team development, projects and workload
- **Product Design Lead**: responsible for product selection, staying on top of trends and steering the direction of our product “look”
- **Buying Assistant**: supports the Buying Manager with product development, critical path management, supplier communications and supplier management
- **Product Onboarding Executive**: once a PO has been placed this role hand