Product Specialist / Buyer

Product Specialist / Buyer

Oldham – Office based

Experience in toys or similar would be beneficial

**Fantastic offices, flexible start and finish times, excellent career progression**

Do you want to work for an exciting supplier to retailers, dealing with a wide variety of products across toys, and related products?

Our client is looking to strengthen the Product team with a driven and proactive individual, who’s eager to learn and develop their existing skills, in an exciting and fast paced creative working environment.

Job Purpose:

To own and drive the creative and commercial development of product ranges across assigned brands and categories, becoming a recognised expert in the market. This includes curating seasonal collections across all relevant price points and formats, delivering trend-led products ahead of competitors, and responding to customer-specific briefs with speed, quality, and cost efficiency. The role also requires ongoing development of everyday core SKUs, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptability to market demands.

Duties include:

Market & Trend Insight

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• Conduct regular in-store and online competitive shopping to identify market trends, product formats, pricing, and emerging opportunities.
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• Capture detailed notes and photographs, saving findings in the designated shared folders for team access.
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• Present insights to the wider team to inform product strategy and range development.
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Range Building & Concept Development

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• Create commercially viable ranges that align with customer requirements, brand identity, and trend insights.
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• Develop draft range plans including SKUs, RRPs, item descriptions, packaging concepts, and supplier recommendations.
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Supplier Sourcing & Cost Management

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• Identify, evaluate, and build relationships with suitable suppliers.
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• Negotiate quotations to ensure competitiveness and margin requirements are met.
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• Work with the Product Admin to maintain accurate and up-to-date pricing and specifications.
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Project Management & Communication

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• Set up dedicated Teams project chats to manage cross-functional communication and file sharing.
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• Maintain an up-to-date development range plan as a working document accessible to all relevant teams.
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• Set and monitor clear deadlines to ensure smooth workflows.
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Style Files & Documentation

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• Oversee the creation and maintenance of style files for every item in development.
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• Ensure all specifications are confirmed, clear, and approved before progressing.
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Artwork & Presentation Approvals

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• Review and approve all product, packaging, and presenter page artwork.
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• Ensure designs are proofread and details are accurate to achieve ‘right first time’ sampling.
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• Approve final sales presentations before release.
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Person Specification:

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• Strong commercial acumen
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• Exceptional communication abilities
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• Proficient in numerical analysis and data interpretation
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• Confident and engaging presenter
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• Highly skilled in negotiation and influencing
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• Enthusiasm for developing innovative and distinctive product formats
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• Sharp eye for product detail and quality
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• Creative mindset with a naturally curious approach
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• Skilled at identifying emerging trends and opportunities
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• Decisive and effective under pressure
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Apply online or for further information please contact one of our specialist consultants quoting reference number: NJR16772

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