Retail Buying Manager

Team: Retail

Location: Homebased with regular travel (several times per month) 

Work pattern: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Salary: Up to £43,003 per annum

Contract: Permanent

We are the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. All over the country, our passionate employees, volunteers and supporters are using their kindness and expertise to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

Will you join us and make life better for cats?

Responsibilities of our Retail Buying Manager:

• Our Retail Buying Manager is responsible for the strategy, planning and procurement of our new goods ranges for shops and online sales, setting new goods pricing strategies, budgets, achieving margins, and category profitability in shops.
• This is a key role contributing to the overall strategic direction of the Retail and Trading operation and leading on the development and optimisation of our new goods proposition across the Retail estate. This includes supporting the Retail Leadership and Management team to coach and develop shop teams to maximise new goods sales income and margin performance

About the Retail and Trading team:

• The Cats Protection Retail Estate and Ecommerce operation plays a key role in generating income and introducing audiences to Cats Protection.
• Our shop estate serves as our shop window to the world, and our new goods operation is vital to our overall Retail success. Our online presence extends our reach further still. All such activity should consistently reflect our charitable goals, values, and behaviours.

What we’re looking for in our Retail Buying Manager:

• Extensive experience in a complementary retail buying role within the charity retail sector or mainstream retail
• Extensive experience of setting and managing income and profitability budgets and understanding of profit and loss formats
• Experience of EPOS systems and understanding of the importance of VAT coding
• Evidence of sustainable new goods sales and profitability growth in previous operations
• Highly developed negotiation, numerical and analytical skills
• Full UK driving license & access to vehicle

What we can offer you:

• range of health benefits
• 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service
• Salary Finance, which empowers you to take control of your financial wellbeing
• and much more, which you can learn about 

Interested? Here’s how to apply:

Application closing date: 5th January 2025

Virtual interview date: 14th & 15th January 2025

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. Please note, applications received after the closing date may not be responded to.

If you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable.  You may be just the right candidate. 

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. Anonymised application form
2. Virtual interview via Microsoft Teams

Please note, the process may change slightly dependent on application numbers. We will inform you of any relevant changes.