About the Role As part of our continuous investment into emerging talent, we're very excited to be looking for the next generation of talent in fashion and are recruiting a new apprenticeship role within our Buying and Merchandising teams. Offering a great alternative to college or university, these opportunities are perfect for someone looking to kick-start their career in fashion, without the need for a university degree. Working in partnership with our external training partner, The Fashion Retail Academy, the apprenticeship programme will deliver high quality learning and development to the successful candidates. The 18-month programme will see you spend time providing administrative support to both the Buying and Merchandising teams and give you a great introduction to both areas and the foundations to shape your future within the industry. Buying Support with the daily communication to the supply base, ensuring suppliers are aware and understand Matalan’s requirements for products standards, labelling & deliveries Work in conjunction with Retail & VM to develop guidelines for a key role in the successful daily management of the Critical Path Support the Buying Team with Marketing and eCom requirements – Sample handover, Photoshoot deadlines, Collection of product, Database information, website visual management Assisting with the benchmarking and competitor analysis of the departmental products Responsible for daily Administration – Filing, Sample Room Management, Post (opening/sending), Room set ups Merchandising Develop strong knowledge of the department range in order to successfully assist and support the merchandising team for the designated category. Support the Merchandising Team with the creation and amendments of the departments purchase orders and ensuring that all necessary documents are delivered to our suppliers in a timely manner Working cohesively with the Imports team to ensure shipments are approved on time, as part of the critical path management Liaise with Stock Placement teams to ensure effective allocation and replenishment of stock into stores Assisting with producing Monday trade sales reports, for both Buying and Merchandising Responsible for daily Administration - Changes to supplier revised delivery dates, screen diary management, updating daily sales reports, progress reports, assisting with ad-hoc analysis reports Develop strong excel skills to assist with producing key Buying & Merch Reports About You Minimum 5 GCSE grades A-C / 9 – 5 including Maths and English Previous Level 3 qualification (A-Levels or equivalent) Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate confidently at different levels Able to work independently. Strong Excel skills Self-Motivated with great organisational skills About Matalan From humble beginnings to disruptive innovations in the retail industry, Matalan is ever-evolving. We know as a team, we are stronger together – we champion equality for all and make lasting connections that go beyond work. We thrive off our inclusive culture, encouraging our colleagues to bring their true selves to work and contributing to collective creativity, open-mindedness and growth. We want to give every candidate the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the application and interview process and then ultimately in their role. If you require any adjustments during our recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know. In the event that a high volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.