Buying and Product Development Manager - Upholstery & MTO

Who We Are… Soho Home

Soho Home is a modern homewares brand designed for relaxed, sociable living. With more than 25 years of design heritage, our ranges are created to mirror the look and feel of our Soho Houses around the world.  Soho Home is an interiors collection from Soho House that includes furniture, lighting, tableware, and accessories created for, and inspired by the Houses.

 

The Role…

Reporting to the Senior Buying and Product Development Manager, the Buying and Product Development Manager will manage the sourcing and product development strategy for Soho Home’s Upholstery & MTO department, bringing bespoke products to the retail marketplace and to the internal Soho House hospitality arm. As the Buying and Product Development Manager you will lead a team to optimise the performance of the buying and PD functions, to execute design briefs to a high standard whilst maximizing profitability.

With the guidance and support of the Senior Buying and Product Development Manager, you will be responsible for managing supplier allocation, optimal supplier performance and pricing. You will support in the development and implementation of the sourcing strategy to ensure the department is operating in line with the objectives of the business, to add value and mitigate supply chain risk. As Buying and Product Development Manager, you will establish and maintain strategic supplier relationships to ensure the highest product quality, price and lead times.

Main Duties…

• Management of the seasonal critical path, ensuring key calendar milestone are always met
• Management and cultivation of a key strategic supply base for both stocked and MTO products, ensuring optimal terms for the business are agreed upon
• Identifying new supplier opportunities, targeting those aligned with Soho House’s aesthetic, quality and price parameters
• Collaborate closely with the Soho Home Design team to ensure briefs intents are executed to the highest standard, whilst meeting commercial expectations of price and margin
• Support in the development and execution of the ranging strategy, both long term and short term, with both UK and US markets in mind
• Manage the department’s product offering and pricing architecture to ensure commercial product opportunities are potentialized, for both the UK and US retail markets
• Lead commercial analysis of the department in collaboration with the Merchandising team to ensure brand sales and profits are maximised
• Demonstrate exceptional awareness of competitors and external industry trends
• Lead and manage a high functioning team, providing guidance and direction to all members of the team
• Promote a high-performance culture, ensuring every team member is supported and empowered to successfully contribute to the overall business objectives
• Leading and championing the sustainability focus within the product development life cycle

About you:

• Extensive product development and commercial buying experience, specifically within Upholstery
• Experienced in the nuances of Made to Order Upholstery
• A strategic thinker, highly analytical and results orientated
• A creative problem-solver, naturally curious with the confidence to challenge current practices to instigate positive change
• Passionate about Soho House and Soho Home, ensuring the member and customer is at the heart of all key decision making
• An excellent communicator, with strong interpersonal and influencing skills
• Naturally collaborative with excellent stakeholder management skills
• A seasoned leader with experience of nurturing and developing teams
• Enjoys working in a changing environment, able to demonstrate agility when responding to industry trends and evolving demands as Soho Home expands into new markets
• Experienced in strategic supplier management, including domestic, European and Far East suppliers

Benefits

Soho House offers competitive compensation packages that feature global benefits and perks. Whether you’re seeking entry-level employment or a new opportunity to expand your profession, we offer training to develop the technical and managerial skills necessary to grow your career.

• Discounts at Soho House globally, as well as Soho Home and Cowshed
• Enhanced Pension Scheme
• Private Health and Dental Care
• Every House Membership
• Cycle to Work Scheme/Season Ticket Loan
• In conjunction with Soho Impact, take 3 days paid a year to support a charity of your choice.
• Cookhouse & House Tonic: Our Cookhouse & House Tonic programmes offer unique food and drink trainings, events and opportunities to inspire and educate.
• Team Events: From fitness sessions to cinema screenings and art classes, each month we hold a series of fun events which you can sign up to.