Buying Manager - Harrods Own Label

We are recruiting a Buying Manager to join our Harrods Own Label Team.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Buying, the Buying Manager will support in the delivery of the strategic vision for Harrods Own Label, delivering best in class product and commercially driving our omni-channel presence (store, online, airports, H beauty & international ventures). You will work closely with the Head of to develop the top-down strategy for category specific Harrods Own Label, driving growth, customer acquisition, quality and building brand equity – fostering a product-first approach.

The Buying Manager will demonstrate and support in developing a high performing team delivering innovation, range accountability, strategic supplier management and drive department efficiency. They will work closely with stakeholders across the business to deliver key strategic projects and initiatives that support the Harrods Own Label vision.

As a Buying Manager for Harrods Own Label, your duties include but are not limited to:

Being responsible for delivering the agreed strategy across all channels and supporting the HOB in the implementation of the strategy for the total Harrods Own Label proposition where required.
Demonstrating a deep understanding of the business & customer, identify and action opportunities to add value.
Embedding and delivering against the defined Stage and Gate process.
Ensuring product is sourced from the best options possible; direct to source, specialists, driving quality and delivering margin.
Taking responsibility (together with Head of and Buying Managers) for ensuring that relevant ranges are built in an innovative way, maintaining our competitive edge and delivering an inspirational collection.
Having full ownership of the Critical Path from concept through to arrival in store / online. Ensuring speed to market up-front and to facilitate trade.
Being accountable for their supply base delivering against the strategy including quality, margin, and speed to market. To introduce suppliers accordingly and responsibly decline where required.
Spearheading the Supplier strategy; planning from 6 – 24 months ahead, understanding in detail the risks and opportunities, ensuring the allocation of business is always approached strategically and the Head of is always up to date.

About You

The future Buying Manager for Harrods Own Label will have prior experience of working in an Own Label space for a luxury brand, ideally at Buyer level. Through their experience, they will have a deep understanding of the luxury retail landscape, having built an innate knowledge over the course of their experience that they can leverage to Harrods’ advantage. They will be able to demonstrate this throughout the process as well as demonstrating their commercial acumen and high taste level.

You will be an experienced people manager, able to bring their people on the journey whilst standing up to challenges in an effective way. Using your positive, ‘can do’ attitude and natural tenacity, you will be able to coach and develop a high performing team.

The ideal candidate will also:

Have experience with embedding best practice processes that are industry standard, have a synergy with wider Harrods operations and protect Harrods best interests.
Be confident to question and challenge current status quo and to propose and drive positive change.
Have a product and customer-first approach demonstrating and delivering Be trade focussed, delivering followed-through actions driving proven results.
Have strong stakeholder management and influencing skills and be able to bring people on our journey.
Consistently strive for exceptional results.

About Us

Harrods is one of the world’s leading luxury department stores and we’re becoming a destination the most sought-after brands from around the globe. Our combined mission is to make visiting our iconic Knightsbridge store one of the world’s most inspiring shopping experiences.

Our Promise to You
Help us make the impossible possible for our customers and we’ll do something remarkable for you. As well as offering a friendly environment to inspire your best work, we provide abundant opportunities and support to build an exceptional career across the varied specialisms of our business.

In return, you’ll receive an excellent benefits package, including a company pension, flexible working, 25 days’ holiday, and your birthday off, up to 33% in-store discount (including across our food hall and restaurants) and a season ticket loan.

Uniquely You
At Harrods we believe the personality and authenticity of our people sets us apart. We celebrate and invite applications from all cultures, backgrounds, tastes, and experiences and are proud of our culture where people from all walks of life can grow and thrive. What makes you unique makes us exceptional.

While our job adverts outline the ideal qualities, skills, and prior experience for the role, we believe in the potential for growth and value individual strengths. If you do not meet every desired criteria but feel you have the skills and experience to thrive in this role as well as a genuine interest in working for Harrods and you can demonstrate an alignment with our values, we would encourage you to apply.

If you want to know more about our people and our culture, search #TogetherHarrods on LinkedIn, Facebook or follow us on Instagram @togetherharrods