Assistant Category Buyer

At NEXT, we are constantly evolving. Our Procurement Services team is at the heart of this growth, supporting our Total Platform Partners—including Victoria’s Secret, Reiss and FatFace—alongside our own brands like Love & Roses.

We have an opportunity for an Assistant Category Buyer to join us at Head Office. In this role, you will be the bridge between our partners and suppliers, managing essential requirements for gift cards, consumables, and packaging ‘Goods Not For Resale’ .

If you are commercially minded and ready to work at pace, this is an incredible place to build your career.

You will play a vital role in ensuring our partners receive the best service and value to support their expansion plans.

• Sourcing & Innovation: Identify potential suppliers and build networks to ensure we always work with best-practice partners.
• Tender Management: Prepare detailed tender documents and assessments of supplier performance to keep our operations efficient.
• Negotiation & Appraisals: Conduct financial appraisals and lead second-stage negotiations using our eSourcing tools.
• Supplier Relations: Formally measure performance against SLAs and KPIs, conducting operational reviews to ensure high standards.
• Strategic Support: Manage stakeholder expectations and act as a link between our users and suppliers to resolve any non-conformance issues.
• Financial Insight: Drive best-practice payment processes and assist our Finance team with spend analysis and budget queries.

We are looking for a person who is knowledgeable, positive, and ready to take on responsibility.

Essential Criteria:

• Education: Educated to degree level or possess relevant professional experience.
• Analytical Mindset: A strong financial understanding with the ability to analyse data and trends accurately.
• Communication: An inspiring communicator who can build relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Negotiation: Proven negotiation skills and the ability to influence outcomes.
• Proactive Approach: A can-do attitude with the ability to solve problems and work on your own initiative.
• Organisation: Excellent time management and planning skills to manage multiple priorities at pace.
• Digital Skills: Proficient in Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs) or Microsoft equivalent.

Desirable Criteria:

• Tools: Experience using eSourcing platforms.
• Procurement Knowledge: Practical understanding of the procurement lifecycle.
• Experience: Prior experience in buying or supplier management roles.

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Benefits