Junior Buyer - Childrenswear

Stylish, grounded, uplifting – these values live through everything we do at Boden. Without the collaboration, honesty and friendship between our teams, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We curate a world of beauty that’s ethical, inclusive – and importantly – good fun. We inspire you to live your best life. We are Boden.

Overview

The Junior Buyer is responsible for managing their own category on our Girlswear area and, with the support of your Senior Buyer, will help manage an Assistant Buyer and Buying Admin Assistant.

As a Junior Buyer, you will help with developing and sourcing the range, negotiating prices, managing a robust supply base, helping contribute and help drive a department strategy to deliver amazing Boden product to our customer.

Location: 4 days per week at our North Acton office, the rest WFH.

This is a 12 Month Maternity Cover role. Ideally looking for a February start date next year.

How We Lead At Boden

• Being a manager at Boden is about giving people clarity, backing them properly, and helping them do their best work.
• You make things make sense. You take big ideas and turn them into clear priorities, so people know what they’re doing and (most importantly) why it matters.
• Your communication is clear and open – you listen and you don’t overcomplicate things.
• You take responsibility. When big decisions need to be made, you make them. When things change, you adapt. And when things don’t go to plan, you own it and move things forward.
• You stay close to what matters – our customer, our brand and our goals – using that to guide decisions and keep teams aligned.
• Most importantly, you build a team people actually want to be a part of – where people feel trusted, supported and able to grow.
  

What You Will Do

• Drive the development of our amazing product working closely with our Product areas including Design, Garment Technology and Merchandising. Additionally, work well with the Fabric team to book and monitor fabric/yarn commitment to trade effectively through the season.
• Continue to grow our strong relationships with our suppliers to get the best price, quality, reliability and repeat lead times, and help shape our Supplier Strategy.
• Set realistic margin targets and negotiate to meet them every season.
• Strong critical path management both internally and with supply base.
• Understand our Brand and our customer in all our trading regions. Be customer focused in the way you work and the decisions you make. Be aware of economic and social trends that impact our business.
• React fast to current trade and look ahead to future ranges, flagging risks and opportunities in clear, simple messages. Agree trigger dates with suppliers so we can move quickly.
• Get the best out of your team with regular 121s, performance reviews, clear targets and honest feedback, delegating sensibly and with our brand values at the heart of it.
• Talk things through early, so decisions get made and nothing gets held up.
• Keep PLM/S5 accurate and up to date at all times.

What We Are Looking For

• Ideally someone at Junior Buyer level or an established Senior Assistant Buyer looking for a step up.
• Experience owning a category is important. You help make the important decisions and you’re proud of the result.
• You’re proactive with your approach, with a great can-do attitude. When plans change or things go wrong, you find a way through and keep things moving.
• Be both commercial and creative with a keen eye for detail.
• Great taste and strong competitor awareness.
• Ability to influence and communicate effectively at all levels.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Data Management skills (inc. Excel and Microsoft Office)
• Be organised, adaptable and enjoy a challenge.

Our Behaviours

• At Boden, how we work matters just as much as what we deliver.
• We keep things simple. We say what we mean, keep each other in the loop, and follow through on what we’ve said we’ll do.
• We care about doing a good job - and we care about each other.
• We’re always kind, often honest, and we will push for high standards without making it heavy.
• We know what we’re good at, we lean on each other when needed, and we show up as a team - taking ownership and getting things done together.
  

What We Offer

• Generous Boden clothing allowance!
• 30% discount on all current clothing ranges.
• 25 days Holiday annually, plus Bank Holidays.
• Online Portal with an array of discounts on retail & entertainment.
• Virtual GP Service for you and your household!
• Free onsite parking and subsidised café.
  

We want Boden to be the place everyone wants to work. Friendly, open and tolerant. A best-of-British company with diverse teams, equal opportunities, and fair working and recruitment practices. We believe in hiring the best person for the job whoever they are, helping them thrive in it and celebrating their individuality.

We would like to encourage people from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply for our roles. If you need any reasonable adjustments or additional support during your application process, please do not hesitate to let us know.