Senior Buyer Beauty Brands - 8 Month FTC

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Job Description

What's in it for you...

Being a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We're an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us. Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special...

• After completing your probationary period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.

• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!

• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.

• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.

• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.

• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.

• Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.

• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.

• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work

What you'll do as the Senior Beauty Brands Buyer...

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Promote & drive a clear understanding of M&S' beauty customer, ensuring the segments and demographics needs are understood and put at the heart of the product offer.
• Create positive partnerships with our beauty brands, establishing strong direct relationships quickly and leveraging these to develop a long-term benefit to M&S. Build strong relationships internally and externally to train, engage and equip all relevant parties with the information and guidance to effect successful and commercial trading partnerships.
• Act as the key interface with all brands to deliver the best product choice, customer experience and ensure ease of working across all key retail levers: - selection, availability, supply chain, operational efficiency, and marketing.
• Work with teams to create, develop, and deliver product that excites the customer, sets M&S apart from their competitors and promotes the brand whilst ensuring the commercial targets are met; presenting strategy and range as appropriate and gaining buy in from the Leadership team.
• 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
• Leading a trading culture across all levels of Buying. Spotting opportunities, chasing into new products and working with Merchandiser to ensure that failure is identified early and managed appropriately. Provide leadership and direction to the buying team. Maintain strong relationships with other functions linking into the BU (e.g. Marketing, Press, M&S.com)
• Drive not only department strategy but also shape / influence the wider brand strategy across Business Unit & General Merchandise
• Identify and develop talent within team, benchmarking across GM peer group and promoting movement of people within the business
• Brand manage external brands, promotional activity and growth
• Negotiate Heads of Terms

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include:

• Previous beauty experience a plus but not a requirement. Passion for beauty a must have!
• Proven track record of developing and trading highly commercial ranges that exceed sales / profit targets

• Ability to initiate and build strong relationships with Brand Partners
• In depth knowledge of margin and brand negotiations
• To develop and build a comprehensive product range which satisfies all customers' future requirements. Understanding and delivery of the concepts of brand strategy
• Good understanding of global retail market place with the ability to identify relevant product trends
• Strong knowledge of beauty product
• 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

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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