Head of Buying
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About the role
Overview
At Hunkemöller, we create moments that matter, together. As Europe's leading lingerie brand, we combine heritage, innovation, and a deep understanding of our customer to build inspiring products and experiences. We are transforming the way we work across product creation, sourcing, and go-to-market, and this role will be central to that journey.
We are looking for a strategic and commercial Buying leader who can bring vision, pace, and excellence to our product organisation while creating customer-focused ranges that drive growth across channels. If you are energised by pace, product, and people leadership, this is an opportunity to make a real impact.
Reporting to the Director of Buying and Technical, you will work as a senior leader within the Product organisation, partnering closely with Design, Merchandising, Technical, Operations, Marketing, IT, Logistics, CSR, suppliers, and channel teams to align product vision, sourcing decisions, and go-to-market execution.
Responsibilities
Lead Product Excellence
Lead and inspire the Buying team to deliver aspirational, brand-right, and commercially strong product ranges.
Embed deep customer understanding into assortment decisions, ensuring relevance across categories, channels, and seasons.
Partner cross-functionally with Design, Merchandising, Technical, Marketing, and Operations to deliver ranges that are both exciting and executable.
Drive excellence in product build up, buy readiness, and launch execution.
Own Sourcing, Costing, and Value Creation
Lead a proactive and data driven approach to costing, supplier planning, and forecast accuracy.
Use open costing and smart negotiation to improve margin while protecting product quality and brand standards.
Drive consolidation strategies across categories, components, and materials to simplify the product landscape and unlock scale benefits.
Build strong supplier partnerships and increase transparency across the value chain to create long term commercial advantage.
Deliver End-to-End Execution
Own end-to-end Buying execution, ensuring strong governance, clear prioritisation, and on-time delivery across the critical path.
Act as a senior gatekeeper for key milestones, ensuring product development moves forward with pace and discipline.
Lead go to market execution with cross-functional partners so launches are trade-ready and aligned to commercial goals.
Strengthen ways of working, data quality, and operational discipline across the product lifecycle.
Drive Commercial Performance
Work in close partnership with Merchandising on seasonal trade, range architecture, and in season performance.
Shape line plans, option depth, and price architecture that reflect customer needs, channel strategy, and brand direction.
Create a strong trading culture that drives productivity, agility, and proactive decision making.
Make commercial decisions that balance product ambition, margin, speed, risk, and production feasibility.
Lead People and Transformation
Coach and develop a high performing Buying team with clear accountability, strong capability building, and succession planning.
Act as a transformation leader, embedding new ways of working, governance, and operating discipline across the Product organisation.
Bring energy, clarity, and leadership to senior discussions, helping shape business planning and strategic direction.
Requirements
Proven senior Buying leadership experience within fashion retail, with deep end to end ownership from concept through to production and trade.
Strong, hands on experience in open costing, including cost-breakdown analysis, margin engineering, and supplier negotiations.
Demonstrated ability to drive material and component consolidation strategies across categories to improve margin, speed, and operational efficiency.
Solid experience in production planning, including capacity considerations, lead-time optimisation, and alignment of buy decisions to go-to-market calendars.
Experience influencing upstream value-chain cost drivers, including engagement with second and third tier suppliers and nominated sub-suppliers covering raw materials, components, and processing/finishing.
Deep understanding of product build-up, including option depth, buy quantities, phasing, and readiness for on-time, trade-ready launches.
Deep understanding of the lingerie, apparel, and swim market, with proven end-to-end business acumen and commercial instinct.
Strategic and analytical thinking, with the ability to translate insight into clear execution and prioritisation.
Strong communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to manage ambiguity, set priorities, and deliver under pressure.
Proficiency in Buying systems (PLM, SAP) and critical-path management.
Comfortable operating at pace, making prioritisation and trade-off decisions in complex, fast-moving environments.
Collaborative, confident in constructive challenge, and acts with integrity.
Benefits
25 days holiday per year, based on a full-time role, with the option to buy or sell additional vacation days each April.
Hybrid working with a 60:40 policy based on your working hours, giving you flexibility to work from home.
Work from abroad for up to 2 weeks per year.
Hunkemöller Academy offering continuous learning opportunities, training programmes, and workshops to support your professional growth.
Generous staff discount of 25% on all Hunkemöller products, with additional discounts of 25 to 35% available on selected Mondays, bringing the total potential discount to 55%.
A role at the heart of an ambitious transformation within Europe's leading lingerie brand, with real scope to shape the future of the product organisation.