Buyers Admin Assistant

Department: Menswear

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Reporting To: Tom Merriman

Description

The Buying team at River Island play a key role in realising the commercial opportunities created by our unique designs across all of our channels. This is achieved though effective range planning, awareness of key commercial data and customer trends, excellent supplier relations and internal networks, and execution of the Buying Strategy to deliver sales and profit plans. The Buyers Admin Assistant supports this through the smooth running of the critical path through the whole Buying cycle, from placing purchase orders, creating and maintaining the critical path, attending fit sessions and maintaining the sample library.

Key Accountabilities

Efficient and accurate order and invoice management, including maintenance of supplier base details and fabric orders
Effective sample management, including labelling, working with suppliers, maintaining the development tracker and ensuring the correct samples are available to support meetings
Supporting fit meetings with relevant paperwork and rails
Co-ordinating labelling and ticketing to a high standard
Monitor and review Critical Path, ensuring dates and deliveries on track and highlighting risks to the Assistant Buyer/Buyer
Support weekly trading reviews, updating and providing information to the Buying team as needed
A working knowledge of competitors, key market trends, customers and channels; produce comp shops with recommendations to positively impact performance
Through a working knowledge of sustainability practises and ethical trading, ensure that work duties are managed responsibly so as not to have any detrimental impact throughout the supply chain
Work cross functionally with Core Merchandising team for effective ways of working and internal teams (Ecommerce, Wholesale, Visual Merchandising) to provide full and correct collections for meetings

Key experience required:

This is an entry level role so previous experience in Retail or as BAA is desirable, but not essential; a track record that demonstrates good work ethic is a must
No specific qualifications are required for this role, just the ability to learn quickly and apply that learning

Job role competencies:

Good verbal and numerical reasoning skills
Intermediate MS Office skills
Computer literate, able to learn new systems quickly
Highly organised and pro-active, good time management skills
Collaborative, with strong communication and interpersonal skills
Good commercial and market awareness
Disciplined and conscientious, results oriented
Resilient and adaptable with the ability to multitask
Curious, continuous learning mindset
Takes initiative
A keen interest in Product and the River Island brand is a must

About Us

We’re a much-loved brand with an exciting future. Our Islanders are a diverse bunch of bright, talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions. This is what a career at River Island is like. And this is where yours starts.

This role is based at our Head Office in West London. Check us out here on a map.

What we can offer you:

💰 Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself to the latest products, and a bargain staff shop on site!

🛒 Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through the Retail Trust.

🎉 A free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant & café to fill you needs. Various social events to socialise throughout the year.

🤎 Every family is unique, we support Islanders with all different family setups enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility treatment. We also work closely with the Retail Trust to create dedicated support for all our Islanders!

💻 Flexible working, on top of payday and summer early finish Fridays.

💕 Give as you earn scheme, a ‘Giver Island’ day each year and receive matched funding.

🎓 Support with upskilling through on the job training and qualifications. A succession plan if you want to progress.

☀️ 23 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays. With the added option to purchase additional holiday twice a year for whatever the need!

Keeping You Safe

At River Island we are committed to the safeguarding of all of our employees regardless of age or job role. We will fulfil our obligation under the Prevent duty which seeks to stop extremism and extremist views from materialising in our business. We promote and encourage the belief in British Values- including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. To find out more, please visit www.gov.uk.

Our Island is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise. To find out more about this interview process, check out our hiring process below.

About Us

Keeping You Safe

About River Island