Job Description
About Matalan From humble beginnings to disruptive innovations in the retail industry, find out about how Matalan is ever-evolving here.We know as a team, we are stronger together we champion equality for all and make lasting connections that go beyond work. We thrive off our inclusive culture, encouraging our colleagues to bring their true selves to work and contributing to collective creativity, open-mindedness and growth.We want give every candidate the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the application and interview process and then ultimately in their role. If you require any adjustments during our recruitment process, please dont hesitate to let us know.In the event that a high volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date.
Please apply as soon as possible if interested.About the role As our Head of Buying for Womenswear, you will be accountable for the curation of a trend-led, commercial and customer-focused product range, driving our strategy of putting customers at the heart of everything we do and our ambition to be the first choice for value for Matalan families.Youll be joining us at a pivotal moment in our incredible brands turnaround and the Head of Buying for Womenswear will be fundamental in this journey. Were looking for someone who is able to demonstrate great leadership, great commerciality and help to evolve the product handwriting in order for us to evolve to our aspirational plans.Strategic LeadershipManaging a budget of over £350m you will develop and execute the overall divisional range strategy to inspire and delight our omnichannel customer base.Identify market trends, customer insights, and competitor activities to ensure an innovative and competitive product range.Range Planning and Development:Lead the planning, development and creation of a cohesive, trend-focused range, that resonates with Matalans customers and brand identity.Oversee the development of divisional range plans, ensuring a balanced mix of core and seasonal trend-driven products for over 3000 options per seasonCurate and deliver cohesive handwriting and range optimisation for the Matalan customer.Financial Management:Set and manage divisional budgets, including sales, margin, and stock targets.Lead the review of in-season trading performance, managing the P&L and variance to plan to deliver optimum return on investment in line with financial forecast.Working with Merchandising, ensure accurate forecasting and stock management.Team Leadership and Development:Lead, inspire, and develop the Womenswear Buying Team of 30 to achieve their full potential.Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture across the department.Establish clear goals and KPIs for the team and provide regular performance feedback.Supplier and Stakeholder Management:Build long-term, strategic relationships with key suppliers across the UK, FE and Europe to ensure reliable sourcing.Working alongside the Sourcing & Quality teams to build and maintain a robust supplier network to secure the best quality products at optimal costs.Partner with Design, Merchandising, Marketing, and Store Operations to ensure seamless product launches and campaigns.Compliance and Sustainability:Ensure all products meet Matalans ethical and sustainability standards.Stay abreast of industry regulations and ensure compliance across the buying function.Champion initiatives that drive Matalans commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.Why Join Us?Were proud of our low ego, high impact culture which is hybrid and warm, you will be working with experienced teams who want to make a difference. This is a turnaround of an amazing business with strong heritage, at a point when we are investing in new stores and refreshing the estate.
If you thrive on adding flair and passion to a non-hierarchical fast-paced turn around this is a very exciting time to join us.Whilst Liverpool based, many of our leaders are from other areas and our working patterns enable us to make a difference, whilst getting the right balance between visible leadership and being out at stores and of course with our partners and supply base.About You Previous experience of operating at a Head of Buying level, within omnichannel value fashion retailing.Proven success in developing and executing long-term buying strategies to deliver growth, profitability and strengthen the brand positioning.Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to use financial and market data to drive informed decision making.Good knowledge of consumer behaviour, competitor activities and emerging market trends, particularly within the womenswear field.Extensive experience in sourcing, negotiating and building relationships with supplies globally.Ability to work cross functionally with design, merchandising, marketing and operations teams to ensure seamless E2E product launches in line with company goals.Proven experience of leading, coaching and inspiring buying teams to achieve ambitious goals.Experience operating within a dynamic, fastmoving retail environment ideally within a business in turn around.Benefits In addition to competitive salaries, we also offer the below core benefits:20% staff discount, which increases with length of serviceThrive Recognition SchemeWellbeing support provided by the Retail TrustLife AssuranceRetail Rewards platform offering discounts for other retailersPension SchemeAccess to a wide range of career developmentAdditional benefits may apply depending on your role and area of the businessTPBN1_UKTJ