Toys Associate Buyer, Disney Store, 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

About the Role & Team

Bring your Assistant Buyer experience to Disney Store - working with our Toys, Dolls, Action Figures, Plush and Games & Puzzles categories!

Under the leadership of the Buyer, you will lead the team, and drive the assortment strategy for these key categories across all of our Disney characters and brands.

You will curate the global Toys range to meet our targets, positioning it to capture new audiences and drive incremental growth.

This role will require you to be onsite 4 days a week in our Hammersmith, West London office, plus one day working from home.

What You Will Do

Pre-season

• Develop and execute a merchandise assortment strategy for Toys that supports the team's sales volume and margin goals

• Maintain awareness and understanding of market competitors and identify growth opportunities

• Partner with planning to maximise margin rate and manage product life cycle, aligning on rankings, retails, and buys,

• Evaluate licensed opportunities and enable new brands as needed – operating within all Disney Store's legal and compliance parameters,

• Ensure establishment of the range plan and item set-up required to write purchase orders.

In Season

• Provide updated sales reporting and business trends to members of the Disney Store team

• Present Best Seller and Hindsight Meeting reports. Analyse, recap and communicate business trends (quarterly hindsight), with the planning team,

• Manage and ensure accuracy of the range plan assortment,

• Track delivery of all category POs with the production team and the support of the Buying Administrator. Escalate shipment issues. Manage vendor set up

Management

• Manage and mentor direct report, ensuring regular objectives are set and reviewed and feedback is given, for a motivated and successful team environment.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Experience in an Assistant, Junior or Associate Buyer role within buying, merchandising, product development, and/or sourcing,

• Experienced in managing and developing team members; delivering multiple assignments and deadlines through a team,

• Demonstrates understanding of brand and brand portfolio positioning,

• Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the connection between financial objectives and related merchandise objectives,

• Experience building and maintaining strong relationships at all levels, managing your contacts effectively within a large, multi-national, matrix organisation.

• Strong written and spoken English for business use, with excellent presentation skills,

• Cultural sensitivity for working as part of our global Disney Store team

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave

• Private medical insurance & dental care

• Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free

• Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing

• Excellent parental and guardian leave

• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.