Position: Buying Manager - Infants

Location: Cape Town

Purpose of position:
Are you passionate about babies and the latest trends in infant fashion? We’re looking for a Buying Manager to lead the charge in curating the most stylish, comfortable, and durable high-quality products for little ones. Help us deliver a thoughtful, exciting, and affordable shopping experience to parents everywhere—while shaping the future of baby retail!"

Reporting to the Buying Executive Kids, you will contribute towards the development and implementation of an effective and efficient buying strategy for your portfolio, lead a team of professional Buyers, engage with cross-functional teams and key business stakeholders, and deliver a superb value proposition for our customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy Development: In partnership with the Executive, develop and execute a comprehensive product portfolio strategy aligned with the company's objectives, ensuring consistency and relevance across the product lifecycle, handwriting and execution.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with internal teams, including Marketing, Merchandising, Retail Operations, and Supply Chain, to ensure alignment and consistency in execution.
• Performance Monitoring: Establish relevant KPIs to measure and monitor product      performance in terms of sales, inflows, margins, GP rands and optimising strategies, based on data-driven insights.
• Systems: Utilise relevant buying systems to support and enable performance.
• Leadership: Effectively lead the buying team for the relevant portfolio.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the retail merchandise cycle with regards to Buying, Planning, Logistics and Stores
• Knowledge of specific company buying strategies 
• Understanding of retail business systems and related processes – IT
• A comprehensive knowledge/understanding of SA’s retail clothing market, customers, and competitors.
• An understanding of relevant trends with a flair/eye for product for the relevant target market.
• Relevant product knowledge with regards to styling constructions
• An understanding of product components
• Awareness of relevant legal and regulatory requirements to ensure compliance and mitigate risks
• Understanding of crisis management principles and practices to anticipate and mitigate potential brand crises, as well as to respond effectively in the event of a crisis to protect the brand's reputation

Skills:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of the organisation
• Strategic thinking and analytical abilities, with a data-driven approach to decision - making
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt quickly to changing priorities and market conditions
• Strong leadership skills to inspire and guide the buying team, fostering cross functional collaboration and driving results
• A commercial mindset to develop innovative and impactful product strategies
• Experience in managing budgets effectively, allocating resources to maximise ROI
• Continuously seeking opportunities for innovation and differentiation, to maintain a competitive edge

Qualification:

• A relevant degree/qualification in Fashion/Textile Design/Clothing Production/Product Development/Merchandising, or related field

Experience:

• Proven experience of 2-5 years in a retail buying management capacity (preferably in the baby or kids’ category)
• Strong leadership and management skills
• Strong negotiation skills with suppliers to secure competitive pricing and favorable terms.
• CFE experience essential
• Extensive travel required

If you feel you meet the above requirements for this position, please submit your application on our careers site at www.ackermans.co.za/careers.