Location Hybrid: 1-2 days spent at our Support Centre, the rest of the week spent working from home. Why The Works? We don’t just sell products. We inspire reading, learning, creativity and play. You sell the paint that turns someone into an artist. You provide the book that unleashes an inner author. You supply the games that help bring families together. You give someone the puzzle book that reconnects someone with a late family member’s memory. You never know who someone will become. So with your passion, and our products, you will help ignite the spark in helping people unleash their creativity, find new passions, hobbies, or rekindle fond memories. Whether you’re engaging with customers on the frontline or supporting our colleagues behind the scenes, your impact can be profound and far-reaching. The unseen possibilities are limitless, and it all starts with you. Become a Senior Buyer At The Works, our products spark creativity, bring joy, and make great value accessible to everyone, and as a Senior Buyer, you’ll be at the heart of making that happen. You’ll take real ownership of your category, shaping ranges that delight our customers, reflect emerging trends, and deliver unbeatable value without compromising on quality. Working collaboratively across Merchandising, Design, Supply Chain and Quality, you’ll turn ideas into products that customers love and keep coming back for. You’ll build trusted, long‑term supplier relationships, make smart, commercial decisions, and invest time in developing others - because when people grow, so does the business. You understand your impact carries all the way through from supplier, to shelf, to customer. At The Works, it all starts with you. Your Mission Strategy, determine what should be in the range and why, identifying the best sources and driving a competitive edge in the market. Test and trial new ideas for future growth based on market data. NPD Briefing, identify new product trends that offer something unique to our customers. Work with Creative teams to deliver in line with our internal trends and create unique artworks for our ranges. Selection, demonstrate excellent range-building skills, articulate product selection, balance private label and branded products, and manage product exists with a clear change plan. Understand the cost of change and ensure payback for newness. Critical Path Management, review development trackers and flag any risks to BM & MM. Trade, with the Senior Merchandiser, articulate a clear narrative on performance and any variances to plan, including build-back opportunities. React to sales trend and take appropriate action to maximise sales and opportunities, and seasonal space. Manage markdowns and contribute in WSSI meetings to manage budget and OTB. Work with marketing to support all activities and drive agreed key products. Supplier and QA Collaboration, ensure product specifications are met with ethical compliance. Trackers and Analysis, keep all trackers up to date (Sales, Sell-through, KVI) and suggest actions based on findings to BM. Negotiation, negotiate trading terms and funding support with suppliers. Secure ad-hoc funding when needed. Internal Communications, collate and produce internal communications and presentations/sign-off packs. Coaching and Development, coach and develop junior team members, embodying what good looks like as a Senior Buyer Influencing Skills, understand your impact on others and develop your influencing skills accordingly. Leadership, lead your product area with all internal stakeholders, guiding them through the full buying process and ensuring they have the information they need at each stage. Board Presentations, present the Board members for their sign-off, consistently completing all required sign-off packs. Additional Responsibilities, set budgets, engage in strategic sourcing, provide challenging feedback when necessary, and conduct store and web reviews, including working with a ‘buddy’ AM to understand operational issues. Skills/Behaviours That Will Set You Apart Product Development: Sourcing experience across own label and brands/licenses. Attention to Detail: You have a forensic attention to detail to help us get things right the first time passionate and able to analyse data. Highly organised decision maker. Colleague-Focused Approach : You prioritise making things easier for our colleagues, clearly explaining the why, how, what, and when. Influence and Challenge : You can influence and constructively challenge when necessary to ensure we do the right thing. Initiative and Passionate : You use your initiative and have the energy and passion to make things happen. Problem solving and innovative thinking. Teamwork and Collaboration : You believe in the power of teamwork and collaboration as the best way to achieve results. Networking and Relationships : You understand the importance of networking and building strong relationships and stakeholder management. Negotiation Skills : Hone and flex style of approach. Self-Starter : Committed to driving your own development, emotionally resilient and calm under pressure. Excel/Microsoft Suite : Intermediate to Advanced. Being a great leader As a great leader with wonderful people skills, you'll create a team that's more than just co-workers - it's a team. Inspire and motivate your team in line with our employer brand, values, behaviours and purpose. Work cross-functionally and collaboratively with other departments. If something's not quite right, speak up so we can work together to get it right or make it better! - Nobody is too proud for constructive feedback so we all win together! But let's not forget about the most important part… your team's well-being and aspirations. You'll be their biggest supporter, cheering them on. You'll have amazing everyday conversations with your team, discussing everything from their performance to their wildest career aspirations. Our PERKS really are ‘The Works’ £5,400 Car Allowance - to help you 'get there'. 25% Colleague Discount! - Plus, exclusive Double Discount days! MyWorks - Access exclusive online discounts across hundreds of retailers, holidays, utilities deals, tech and more! Holiday – 33 days including bank holidays. Holiday Purchase - Purchase an additional 5 days Can-Do Academy - Grow your skills and career with instant access to further training and development in areas that interest you. Wagestream - Claim early access to 50% of your wages as you earn them – for when ‘life’ happens! Share Scheme - Unleash your inner Monopoly mogul and own a piece of The Works! 24/7 support for you and your family - Through our partnership with the Retail Trust who provide an Employee Assistance Programme and so much more! Healthcare Cash Plan – To support your everyday healthcare costs And loads more! – Long Service Awards, pension, life assurance, Cycle to Work and optional charity giving. Our Purpose To inspire reading. learning, creativity and play. Our Values We are Crafty | Smart with what we've got. We are Caring | Heart in every action. We are Can-do | Energy that gets it done Promoting Inclusion, Diversity & Support for Everyone At The Works, we’re committed to being a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to be their themselves. We celebrate diversity in all its forms and encourage applications from people of every background (under whatever terminology that feels right for you). We know life looks different for everyone, so we’re always open to conversations about flexible working or adjusted hours. If you need any reasonable adjustments for an interview (whether that’s extra time, assistance with accessibility needs or something else, just let us know when you apply and we’ll do everything we can to make your experience with us comfortable, fair and positive. Because when you can be yourself, you can truly shine, and we want everyone who joins us to have that opportunity.