Application Deadline: 30 September 2025
Department: Buying
Location: London
Description
At Mountain Warehouse, we’re passionate about helping our customers enjoy the great outdoors. With a focus on sustainability, we design quality products that are made for adventure and built to last, whether it’s for hiking, running, skiing, or just exploring closer to home. As a team, we’re united by our passion for the outdoors, our commitment to exceptional customer service and our belief in working together to achieve great things.
We value individuality and teamwork, believe diversity drives innovation and success, and are committed to building an inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We’re proud to create an environment where we can all contribute our unique skills and ideas. If you’re excited about leading a team, delivering outstanding service, and being part of a brand that inspires adventure, we’d love to hear from you!
Job Purpose
As a Junior Buyer, you will support the buying team in developing and delivering product ranges that align with customer needs and business goals. You’ll assist in gathering competitor insights, customer feedback, and sales data to help inform product decisions and identify opportunities. Managing the critical path will be key, ensuring timely sample approval and coordination with suppliers to resolve any issues. Your role will involve organising fit sessions, supporting pricing decisions, and ensuring branding guidelines are followed. Through effective communication, organisation, and problem-solving, you will play a crucial part in driving the success of the product range and supporting the buying team.
Key Responsibilities
RANGE BUILDING
- Competitors, Customer & Demographic: You will understand the brand’s strategy to identify development opportunities by analysing sales data, competitor insights, and customer feedback. This approach should help you innovate product ranges and target specific demographics. Supporting the Buyer in range decisions and developing products to fill gaps will be a key part of your role.
- End Use & Seasonality: You should ensure products are fit for their intended use and consistently align across all platforms. By considering end-use in product development, you will ensure all testing and MW requirements are met while understanding and managing the impact of testing costs.
- Suppliers: You will leverage your knowledge of the current supply base, fostering strategic relationships with suppliers to optimise product development and sourcing.
CRITICAL PATH
- Samples: You will oversee the team’s management of samples, ensuring the sample area is well-organised and maintaining ownership of all samples for the department and team.
- Critical Path: Managing the Critical Path will be a key responsibility, ensuring timely updates after each approval. You should identify and resolve delays, offering practical solutions and coordinating with the Buyer. Supporting the Buyer in setting deadlines and liaising with stakeholders to resolve supplier issues will be crucial. You will deputise for the Buyer in their absence and report any issues with solutions to the Head of Buying.
- Approvals: You will independently approve items, flagging any concerns to the Buyer and providing commercial approval opinions. Leading the team to present PPs to the Buying Director in the Buyer’s absence will also be part of your responsibilities.
- Fits: You should ensure fit sessions are used efficiently, prioritising key areas and identifying old or OTS samples during weekly fit reviews. Efficient use of fit time will help support the team’s goals.
- PPs: You will lead the team in presenting PPs to the Buying Director when the Buyer is unavailable. Approving PP, shipping, and development samples will also be your responsibility, presenting them to the Buyer and Head of Buying when required.
- Sign Offs & Range Reviews: You should prepare department rails for meetings, ensuring all necessary samples are organised and ready for sign-offs and range reviews.
- Branding Guidelines: You will select appropriate swinger types and icons for the department, ensuring RFID and barcode stickers are correctly applied. Navigating the FTP system and supporting suppliers with its use will be part of your role. Selecting and identifying labels, trims, and packaging that are fit for purpose and compliant with requirements, as well as completing briefing documents for the packaging team, will be key responsibilities.
ANALYSIS & TRADING
- Pricing: You will identify and address pricing gaps, ensuring a competitive price structure while maintaining a clear good/better/best framework across the range.
- Photography/Photoshoot & Web: You should innovate web photography processes, manage the intake sheet and web tracker, and ensure samples are delivered on time for photoshoots.
- Space Planning & VM: Supporting seasonal range planning, you will optimise space and fixture placement through regular store visits, contributing to maximising sales and improving the customer experience.
- Analysing & Trading: You will analyse sales data to identify gaps and opportunities, enabling informed decision-making and effective problem-solving for the range.
- System Skills: Proficiency in Office 365 and buying systems is essential. You should manage emails, data reports, and range planning tools efficiently, with a solid understanding of WSSI and system-generated reports to support accurate planning.
We Would Like To Meet Someone Who Is
- Communication: You will communicate clearly and professionally, positively influencing the team and actively contributing to meetings to support team objectives.
- Problem Solving: Proactively identifying solutions to tasks is essential. You should manage your workload effectively and support colleagues by providing accurate solutions to challenges.
- Accountability & Managing Self: You will take responsibility for managing your workload efficiently, multitasking under pressure, and prioritising self-development to enhance your skills and the team’s performance.
- Presentation Skills: Presenting confidently in meetings, you should handle challenges constructively and be open to feedback to refine and improve your presentation skills.
- Innovation & Creativity: You will apply creativity to your daily tasks, improving efficiency and consistency. Sharing innovative ideas with the management team will be an important part of your role.
- People Management / Relationship Management: Building strong, positive working relationships with colleagues and management is key. You should manage expectations effectively and support others through collaborative goal-setting and teamwork.
- Pacey & Positive: Maintaining a positive and composed attitude under pressure, you will navigate and resolve challenging situations confidently and constructively.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- Hybrid working, 3 days in London based office & 2 working from home
- Holiday allowance
- 50% staff discount & 25% for family and friends
- Pension scheme
