Head of Buying - Toys

Job description

About the team

Toys and Nursery sit at the heart of our GM Commercial business, bringing together iconic global brands and distinctive own-brand ranges for millions of customers. With significant headroom for growth, this is a team with real scale, strong supplier partnerships and an ambition to strengthen our position in the market. You will join a collaborative commercial leadership group spanning Buying, Merchandising, Global Sourcing and the wider functions that bring great products to customers across every channel.

More about the role

As Head of Buying, Toys and Nursery, you will set the long-term category strategy and lead a multi-level buying team to deliver sustainable growth in sales, profit and market share. Working closely with the Head of Merchandising, you will shape customer-led ranges, create a clear product vision and make commercial decisions across range, suppliers, pricing, promotions, sourcing and investment.

Reporting to the Buying Director, Electricals & Toys, this is a broad and influential leadership role. You will build senior relationships with major global brands and own-brand manufacturers, provide direction for complex negotiations and supplier business plans, and partner with teams across Technical, Product Development, Design, Digital, Marketing, Retail, Finance and Supply Chain. You will also oversee critical launch milestones, monitor market and competitor trends, improve channel performance and create an environment where colleagues can perform, develop and progress. The role includes international supplier and factory engagement, with approximately three to five overseas trips each year.

More about you

You will bring senior buying or product-led commercial leadership experience from a substantial retail or consumer environment, together with the judgement to lead a sizeable category with significant autonomy. You can translate customer, market and trading insight into a compelling strategy, balance branded and own-brand priorities, and make clear decisions in a complex multichannel business.

You will be credible with senior suppliers and internal stakeholders, comfortable leading high-value negotiations and able to build alignment around ambitious plans. Toy-sector experience would be valuable because of the importance of established brands and specialist market knowledge, but we will also consider candidates from other categories who can demonstrate comparable breadth, scale and leadership impact. Above all, you will create clarity and momentum for your team while working collaboratively across the wider business.

Essential criteria

• Evidence of leading a sizeable buying or product-led commercial function, with accountability for category strategy and commercial performance
• Demonstrable delivery of sales, profit, margin or market-share improvement through range, pricing, promotional, sourcing or supplier strategies.
• Experience leading complex negotiations and strategic relationships with senior suppliers, global brands or manufacturers
• Experience leading and developing multi-level teams, including succession planning and performance development
• Evidence of influencing and collaborating with senior cross-functional stakeholders and using customer, market and trading data to make decisions in a complex multichannel environment

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We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there's always the chance to try something new - whether that's as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares).

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks' pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks' pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).