Head of Buying

London, England, United Kingdom

5/15/2025

Department: Womenswear

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Description

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.


What We Are Looking For...

Job Purpose:

The Buying team at River Island plays a key role in realising the commercial opportunities created by our unique designs across all 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 Head of Buying shapes the Product Strategy for either a small division or significant area of a larger/more complex division, with the collaboration of the BM’s, and contributes to the wider divisional Product strategy, alongside the Buying Director and Merchandising counterparts. They are accountable for ensuring the strategy is cascaded, implemented and delivered to plan for their wider departments, and for supporting the delivery of the overall divisional strategy. The Head of Buying creates a compelling product vision for their departments, and works to maximise brand success through strong cross-functional peer collaboration and influencing. They role model exceptional Buying attributes and skills, leading, training and developing highly engaged Buying Managers and their teams to achieve the best possible results.

Key Accountabilities:

• Ensure delivery of short, mid and long-term financial plans, sales and margin for their areas
• Through highly developed commercial acumen, and entrepreneurial mindset, demonstrate curiosity to uncover risks and opportunities at a strategic level across the broader market and industry, for all channels and categories, creating the long-term strategic plan for their areas
• Identify and manage mid-term opportunities to drive sales and margin, including influencing and executing price point graphics
• Through in-depth product knowledge, River Island brand alignment and vision, ensure the product ranges for each season is optimal to deliver the brand promise to our customers, in the unique River Island handwriting, and at the right quality for the level of the market
• Assess the risks and opportunities of the supplier base, in line with Product Strategy ensuring we are connected and hold relationships with suppliers who are best placed to support us in achieving our strategic goals
• Collaborate with peers across Product and beyond to inform own view, ensure alignment to the strategic priorities, create synergies and leverage support
• Work closely with Visual Merchandising to influence store layouts, ensuring product presentation is optimised to drive sales and deliver the planned vision for the division
• Be ultimately accountable for progress towards and delivery of our Sustainability commitments within the division, championing and advocating for sustainability to be incorporated into fabrication and production methods and choices across the team
• Cascade the strategic plan through their BMs and teams, keeping everyone aligned to and engaged in the priorities and deliverables
• Create capacity and capability within the team to deliver the strategic plan, identifying where there are risks and taking action to address these; encouraging and role modelling agile working, fostering and developing entrepreneurial mindset and skills, and ultimately enabling team members to perform at their best and maximise their contribution to the business
• Lead change programmes, advocating for necessary change and creating engagement within their areas
• Pro-actively plan and take action to develop an internal talent pool and external talent pipeline to ensure the team has the right capacity and capability to deliver on business plans
• Foster and enable a culture of wellbeing and inclusion through openness, two way listening and owning actions needed to create a great workplace for our Islanders

Key experience required:

• Previous experience as a Head of Buying, or established Buying Manager is required
• Experience in an omni-channel business is highly desirable
• Proven results in potentialising both speed to market and long-lead margin-rich routes to deliver upsides to the forecast
• Track record of delivering and exceeding sales and margin targets is essential
• Proven results in developing and implementing strategy
• Track record of building and utilising a strong internal network to drive results
• Track record of building an extensive supplier and industry network, and in utilising this network to drive results
• Track record of driving strong team and individual performance and engagement

Job role competencies:

• Excellent commercial and analytical skills
• Excellent verbal and numerical reasoning skills
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent judgement, able to solve complex problems and be decisive
• Excellent change readiness and management skills
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
• Excellent at presenting to a senior audience, flexing style to gain buy-in
• Highly curious, seeking broad input and opportunities to develop
• Highly attentive to interpersonal dynamics, excellent emotional intelligence
• Highly skilled at building and nurturing a broad network, collaborative mindset
• Highly skilled at flexing their style and approach to others
• Excellent ability to communicate and align teams to strategy and vision
• Ability to manage multiple teams
• Highly resilient, tenacious and adaptable to change
• Excellent people management coaching, mentoring and development skills
• Change advocate with a curious, continuous learning mindset
• Forward-thinking, innovative
• Passion for product and the RI brand and customer
  
  

This Is For You...

• Discount - Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself & a bargain staff shop, all onsite!
• RI Rewards - Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more with Reward Gateway!
• Island culture - We have a free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant & café & various social events throughout the year. We also work closely with the Retail Trust to create dedicated support for all our Islanders!
• Work that stays at work - Flexible working is a given, on top of payday early finishes and Summer Fridays
• Family Hub - Every family is unique, we support Islanders with all different family setups enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility treatment
• Giver Island - Give as you earn scheme, a ‘Giver Island’ day each year and matched funding
• Training on the job - Support with upskilling skills through on the job training and qualifications
• Pension - A contributory private pension scheme
• Bonus - A generous bonus scheme
• Healthcare - With the choice to opt in for healthcare through our provider AXA
• Car Allowance - Supporting you with your commute to work
• Parking - Free onsite parking
• Holiday - 25 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays. With the added option to purchase additional holiday for whatever the need!

We mentioned the discount, right?

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

Every Islander Counts

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.