We have a new opportunity for a Footwear Buyer to join our growing Head Office Buying Team in York. This is a full time permanent opportunity but we would consider part time applications. The role and team are based in York, but the company’s flexible and hybrid working policies are available and you will be required to do extensive travel at times overseas to our supplier network, sourcing the products we sell. You’ll work alongside an experienced team of Senior Buyers, that will support you to grow and develop your skills. This is a great opportunity to learn from their 10 years’ experience in developing the bestselling ranges, with a particular focus on our own label products and developing relationships with our branded partners. You’ll need a good foundation of footwear industry sourcing experience, with a focus on growth at a revenue and profit level, as well as meeting BIM and achieved margins. We are looking for an individual with product-centric behaviours and an understanding of our customer base where comfort, value and style are at the heart of our product buying decisions. A head for numbers and understanding data to support decision making will help you to succeed in the role. You’ll be a strong communicator and experienced in building relationships and negotiating with suppliers, as this will be part of the day-to-day activities, with a friendly and engaging persona and appetite to learn in a supportive environment. Key Responsibilities for our Footwear Buyer Working with the senior buyer to develop a range of own label and branded footwear product in line with the purchasing plan for the season. Working with the channel departments (retail, marketing and marketplaces) to understand and act upon the requirements of channel and provide the right products at suitable price points to satisfy their needs. Identify the supply chain for each product group from the buying plan and negotiate styles, volumes, prices and terms with each supplier. Working with the planning and buying support team ensure the supply chain deliver in line with Company requirements to maximise selling time for each product. Monitor the performance in season of the products and groups for which you are responsible and suggest as appropriate reductions to stimulate sales. Attend trade shows as appropriate to ensure you are cogniscent of market trends and developments to keep the business at the fore front of product development and innovation. Contribute with the QC team to ensure quality of products are the right standard for our customer. Undertake periodic visits to suppliers and if appropriate agents to ensure relationships are fostered and standards both quality and ethical are maintained. Work to the KPI’s agreed measuring performance v buying plan, margin, sales and markdowns. Work with our in-house designer to develop desirable products with the right handwriting and USPs for our customer About you Footwear industry buying experience is essential Experience sourcing own label footwear products is essential, and any experience with branded products would be beneficial Experienced negotiator Understanding of and track record of achieving/exceeding set margin targets Highly numerate and analytical, with experience of using data to make informed decisions Be UK based holding the right to work without the need for sponsorship Benefits/Package for our Buyer – Trainers Salary: circa £38,000 depending on experience plus; Generous staff discount Free parking at Head Office Annual Discretionary Bonus Scheme Death in Service Access to Pavers Academy for e-learning & development opportunities About Us At Pavers we are passionate about providing comfort and happiness to our customers, and we make sure to employ people who are as passionate as we are. We always look for happy, confident, upbeat people, and we provide great jobs in a supportive family environment for them. We know that without our colleagues there is no business, and so the better we look after you, the better service you will provide our customers. Pavers is a growing, highly profitable, independent family-run business with a strong balance sheet, employing over 1,800 people across our estate of circa 200 Stores, Head Office & Distribution Centre, and we remain acquisitive. We were voted one of the Top 10 Employers in Retail in the UK in 2020 and were recognised as a 3 Employer with ‘World Class’ levels of workplace engagement by Best Companies in 2023. At Pavers we truly believe the talents, passion, and dedication of our employees are the reasons for our success. As of 2023 we are working towards obtaining menopause friendly status. In 2021 we became the first major retailer to achieve Carbon Neutral status and have proudly maintained this standard ever since. Championing sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do, and we’re committed to changing the future of retail for the better acting in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Giving back is in our nature as a Business and in 2018 we established the Pavers Foundation, in the memory of our late founder, Catherine Paver. Since then, the Foundation has awarded grants for causes close to our colleagues’ hearts for; community, education, and areas of health, totalling more than £2m, growing year on year. If this sounds like the kind of business you’d like to know more about, we’d love to hear from you - please apply today for the role of Footwear Buyer.