Branded Buyer - Softgoods Location: Watford - Hybrid 1 day/week in office Salary: £30-£33k DOE A little about you. An exciting opportunity to be part of the Absolute Snow buying team, working as a Branded Buyer. You will work closely with HOB to deliver and execute the brand strategy. You will be responsible for developing and executing the buying strategy for our soft goods category across wholesale and marketplace, encompassing apparel, shoes and accessories. The ideal candidate will have a keen eye for emerging trends, a strong understanding of the e-commerce landscape, and a proven track record of building successful product ranges and maintaining strong supplier relationships. This position requires a blend of analytical skills, negotiation expertise and a deep passion for products. The Role: Sourcing and Onboarding: Identify and onboard new brands that align with our brand identity and quality standards. Supplier Relationship Management: Manage strong, long-term relationships with brands. Trend Analysis and Curation: Stay at the forefront of Snow/Outdoor trends to curate a compelling and commercially viable product assortment. Performance Analysis: Collaborate with the Merchandiser to monitor and analyse sales data, key performance indicators (KPIs) and market trends to identify opportunities for growth and optimise performance. Negotiation and Terms: Negotiate favourable terms with key sellers, including commission rates on Marketplace and strong margins on Wholesale. Product Assortment and Ranging: Work closely with brands to guide their product assortment, ensuring a balanced and appealing offering for our customer. Marketing: Collaborate with the marketing and merchandising teams to feature key sellers and products in promotional campaigns, email newsletters and on-site placements. Competitive Analysis: Regularly analyze the competitive landscape to ensure we maintain a unique and compelling value proposition. Reporting: Collaborate with the merchandising team to prepare and present regular reports on category performance, seller activity and market trends to senior management. The Person: Has a proven track record in Buying within a branded function ideally within the Snow/Outdoor industry Demonstrates the ability to drive the success and profit of a department through creative and commercial thinking Demonstrates the ability to gain buy in from the team and management to potentialise opportunities Embraces and champions the benefits of change within the wider team Can confidently present the department performance and strategy to the team and management Shows a great understanding of the Absolute Snow customer and customer segmentation and reflects this in decision making Shows strong awareness of current trends, retail market conditions and opportunities Builds great relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers Extremely resilient, flexible and dynamic and have an inclusive management style, role modelling positive behaviours and providing the team with clear direction and development Skills: Proficient: with google sheets, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint. Experience: 3-5 years of experience in a buying role, with a strong preference for experience in an e-commerce and marketplace environment. Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the Snow and Outdoor Apparel and Accessories industry Analytical Skills: Proven ability to analyse sales data and market trends to make informed business decisions. Negotiation Skills: Strong negotiation and relationship management skills Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with internal teams and external partners Organisational Skills: Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment Passion for Product: A genuine passion for Snow and Outdoor products. We will consider Buying levels of Senior AB and JB who currently buy their own areas.