Description Job Title: Assistant Category Buyer Location: Leicester - with travel Salary: Competitive plus car, bonus & benefits As an Assistant Category Buyer at Next you will be responsible for buying store services (i.e the services all Next stores require). These will include facilities management contracts such as cleaning, hygiene & pest control as well as, music & phase change activity. The category spend is £13m, with 20 key suppliers Your Responsibilities: Supplier Sourcing As part of your role you will Identify and recommend potential future suppliers as well as create an internal & external ‘network’ to ensure ‘best practice suppliers’ are sourced and selected. RFP (Request for proposal) Preparation Responsibilities will also include preparing an assessment of current supplier/product/service performance, price, and outstanding issues to be reviewed with the Finance Manager Supplier Appraisal Prepare for each selected supplier a financial and commercial appraisal, including supplier site/factory visits where appropriate. Contracts/Service Level Agreements Prepare formal contracts and SLA’s based upon the tender document in conjunction with the legal team to ensure legality & ‘correctness’. Supplier Management & Performance You will also formally measure Supplier performance against SLA & KPIs. This will involve undertaking monthly operational reviews with the Supplier and assessing them against agreed criteria Service/Product Development & Spend Analysis You will need to demonstrate an understanding and be up to date on market developments, new services, processes and ensure these are offered for consideration by relevant parties as well as undertake competitor analysis on all category products/services and feedback to the wider business where appropriate. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Key Skills and Experience: Previous experience in a buying or merchandising role, preferably within the retail sector. CIPS (desirable) Good financial understanding Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and market trends. An ability to plan, manage your own time and be organised Excellent negotiation and communication skills. Proactive and able to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. LI-DC1 LI-HYBRID