Buying Assistant

Buying Assistant
  • Eastleigh, Hampshire
  • Fixed Term/Secondment - Fixed
  • Up to £30,000 per year
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About the role

Buying Assistant

18 Month FTC

Up to £30,000 + Pension + BUPA + ShareSave + 6.6 weeks holiday + Hybrid Working (3 days per week in the office)

Southampton, Store Support Office

We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they’ll love. Join us as a Buying Assistant and you’ll be a big part of this.

Key responsibilities

Empower the Buyer and Assistant Buyer in curating an awe-inspiring product range that delights our customers. Your role involves crafting and maintaining vendor and product data, executing competitive pricing and promotions, and ensuring that all channel requirements receive relevant information throughout the buying and merchandising journey. Additionally, you’ll be a key player in maintaining product data throughout its lifecycle and supporting the sample process for range development.

Key Responsibilities:

Vendor Management:

  • Handle day-to-day vendor queries, ensuring adherence to B&Q processes and policies.
  • Collect accurate vendor data promptly and proactively address risks and issues.
  • Analyze key vendor performance data, including turnover information.
  • Assist in delivering vendor strategies, organizing meetings, and visits.
  • Manage contracts, cost prices, and approval processes.
  • Support budgeting, forecasting, and reporting related to vendor contributions.

Product Data and Execution:

  • Secure accurate customer-facing data and content across channels.
  • Manage product data setup, progression, and archiving.
  • Coordinate replacement link execution and category sampling for quality assurance.
  • Execute promotions and price changes as directed by the Buyer and Assistant Buyer.
  • Collaborate with the Strategic Pricing team for product/price comparisons.

Additional Responsibilities:

  • Maintain buying tracker updates and communicate regularly with stakeholders.
  • Utilize customer and market insights for presentations and business actions.
  • Work alongside merchandising on projects, including range reviews and promotions.
  • Provide general administration support to the buying team.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to learn and develop within the commercial function.

Required skills & experience

Key Experience:

  1. Strong administrative and organizational skills, including prioritization abilities.
  2. Effective communication skills for interacting with both internal and external stakeholders.
  3. Proactive and flexible approach, with initiative-taking abilities.
  4. Analytical mindset with attention to detail.
  5. Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.

Career progression

What's in it for me?

As part of a great team, you’ll be valued for who you are.We’re committed to making B&Q more diverse and representative of the communities we serve, where everyone can feel they belong and have equal opportunities. You will have access to a range of networks that represent our colleagues and allies and help us to continue to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business.

We also recognise that wellness means different things to different people, and we want to help colleagues be at their best and feel well by offering a range of benefits to help you. As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more!

So we can support you during the application or interview process, please contact recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk for any recruitment adjustments.

#LI-JT1

We want to ensure that all employees, future employees and applicants to all Kingfisher companies are treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. 

If you require any additional support or adjustments to help you make an application, please contact us at recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk

Rewards &
benefits

Training &
development

Learn & Develop at B&Q

When you join B&Q, we want you to be all you can be. From the minute you walk through our doors to the exciting moment you make that next career move, we're here to help you make the most of every opportunity. Thanks to our friendly learning system, Mylo, we make sure you always have the support you need to take on every challenge and fit your learning around your life. Here, we know that the best way to grow is together. 

Flexible learning with Mylo

Mylo is your every day, on the go learning and development partner. Helping you build the knowledge you need now and in the future. With Mylo, you can access training and content, anywhere, anytime and on any device. You can even influence the type of training on offer by rating and recommending content, and letting us know what we can do to improve. Award-winning and featuring over 150 different learning activities - like short videos, articles, workshops and webinars - think of Mylo as your 24/7 training pal, designed to help you make the most of your B&Q career journey.

Developing in role

Learning never stops at B&Q. Whether you've been in your role for one day or five years, there's always something to be curious about. It's why we're always creating learning opportunities and experiences that'll give you the chance to develop your skills. Like our First Line Manager programme: a course that helps our newest line managers build their confidence and management skills. Or our Leadership Development programme that challenges our more experienced leaders to reflect on and adapt their approach for our ever-evolving ways of working.

Building expertise and know-how

We believe anyone can learn the technical skills to do their job with excellence. It's all about attitude and behaviour here. So, if you're passionate about customer service and design, we'll teach you how to create beautiful kitchens. If you're someone who loves being outdoors, we'll help you learn about our garden ranges. And, if you're someone who just loves what we do but doesn't know where to start, we'll help you find the perfect role for you to grow into. 

Accelerated Development Talent Programmes

Whatever goal you're working to at B&Q, we want to help you get there. We do this by designing a number of programmes which help you to practice your skills and learn new ones, gain valuable experiences, learn from others and jump on opportunities that are right for you. From leaders taking their first steps into management to those simply looking for a new challenge, we're there to make sure you achieve your ambitions.

Induction

At B&Q, we want every new colleague to understand our values, our customers, and how we work together to achieve our purpose. That’s why we’ve designed an induction programme that’ll give you real insight into our business, our culture and help you feel included from day one. For your first few weeks on the job you’ll work with your team and line manager, mixing online learning with practical tasks, to grow your knowledge a little every day.

 

A day in the life

Take a tour
around our
office

Our Store Support Office sits within B&Q House and supports our colleagues and stores right across the UK and Ireland. In our bespoke, modern and eco-friendly building just north of Southampton, you’ll find a friendly team of talented people in a huge range of roles.

Explore our
store support office

Facilities

In B&Q house, you’ll enjoy an onsite gym, a subsidised Costa, a canteen and restaurant, prayer room, plus open plan and cosy work spaces, an outdoor picnic area, and bike sheds for those who cycle in.

Sustainability

B&Q House has a biomass boiler, solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system. Our building also makes use of upcycled and recycled furniture and fittings, and features natural ventilation, heat retention and CO2 management, all via our very own weather station on the roof.

Why
choose us?

Why Commercial at B&Q?

We want every visit to every one of our stores to be the start of something big for our customers. So, to go with the excellent service, our Commercial colleagues offer our customers a product range that ignites their imagination and kits them out with everything they need to tackle their boldest projects. 

Why B&Q

Ready to apply?

Step 1:

Apply via bandqcareers.com

Step 2:

We'll contact you for a phone interview

Step 3:

We’ll carry out a face to face or online interview (and we may request a 2nd interview if the role you're applying for is more complex).

Step 4:

We’ll contact you with feedback, and maybe even a job offer.

Check out our FAQs for more information about interviewing at B&Q.

Buying Assistant

  • Eastleigh, Hampshire
  • Fixed Term/Secondment - Fixed
  • Up to £30,000 per year