Assistant Buyer

Claire’s are looking to appoint an Assistant Buyer to support the European Licence and Event Buying team.

The Assistant Buyer will be responsible for supporting product development process across all aspects of the business. The Assistant Buyer will play a critical role in the detailed management of the product lifecycle process. Core areas of responsibilities are as follows: sample management, daily vendor communication, tech pack creation and management, organizational support, calendar tracking, competitive analysis and identifying trends.

This role can be offered on a hybrid basis working 3 days a week from our European HQ in Erdington, Birmingham.

The role would suit someone with experience gained within a Buying Admin Assistant role who is looking for their next step.

**What does the role involve?**
- Support Product Developer and/or Product Manager and product development team on all day-to-day functions for assigned category
- Own multiple administrative tasks such as: Creating and preparing reports and cost recaps, purchase order maintenance; Tracking product submits and samples; Trend reports; and other deliverables to ensure timelines are met and that all information is complete and accurate
- Manage and maintain sample process, which includes sorting styles by class and/or season on a regular basis, as well as coordinating and tracking all samples to ensure requirements are met.
- Ensure all samples are received in timely manner, in correct format, and communicate any changes to the vendor
- Ensure that all product samples are displayed and correctly labelled at all times within the sample area
- Create clear and detailed product briefs to assist in the development of designs, communicate to vendors for them to create cads & tech packs to build out an assortment. Continuous communication required to ensure all key milestones are met.
- Create and maintain trend boards and product line sheets with key product details to effectively communicate necessary information to cross-functional teams and partners
- Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and cross-functional team, including Merchandising
- Purchase order management including vendor set up, creation, encoding, revisions, maintenance, and tracking
- Accountable for key trends and global competition for assigned department, understanding other retailers’ assortments in comparison to Claire’s; Reports back findings, white space opportunities, and any relevant actions to elevate product assortment
- Display financial understanding and utilization of basic retail maths

**What are we looking for?**

To be considered for this role, we are keen to hear from people with the following skills and experience:

- Experience in a buying-support role, ideally with a focus on Product Development
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Strong organizational, planning, administrative, and written and verbal communication skills
- Basic retail math skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint and Excel)

**Competencies**
- **DRIVE FOR RESULTS**:Takes ownership and responsibility to achieve business results. Effectively prioritizes daily assignments and plans to work accordingly. Consistently meets deadlines and expectations.
- **LEARNING ORIENTED**:Actively develops self and/or others using internal/external methods for growth. Pushes self by setting challenging goals to continuously improve.
- **ENERGIZE OTHERS**:Proactively motivates and inspires others and positively challenges others to be their best. Works collaboratively with other team members. Seeks opportunity to bring positive energy into the workplace.
- **CHAMPION OF CHANGE**: Embraces new ways of working, has continuous improvement mindset and inspires others.