Buyers Admin Assistant

Buyers Admin Assistant

Department: Menswear

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Reporting To: Tom Merriman

The Buying team at River Island plays a key role in realising the commercial opportunities created by our unique designs across all of our channels. This is achieved through 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 throughout the Buying cycle, from placing purchase orders, creating and maintaining the critical path, attending fit sessions and maintaining the sample library.

• 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 practices 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

• 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

• Good verbal and numerical reasoning skills
• Intermediate MS Office skills
• Computer literate, able to learn new systems quickly
• Highly organised and proactive, 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

• Generous staff discount
• Discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through the Retail Trust
• Free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant and café
• Social events throughout the year
• Support for different family setups including maternity, paternity, adoption and fertility treatment
• Flexible working, including payday and summer early finish Fridays
• Give as you earn scheme, a Giver Island day each year and matched funding
• Support with upskilling through on-the-job training and qualifications, and a succession plan for progression
• 23 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays, with the option to purchase additional holiday twice a year

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.