Product Developer / Buyer

Product Developer / Specialist

£30,000 – £35,000

Oldham – Office based

Experience in toys or similar would be beneficial

**Fantastic offices, flexible start and finish times, excellent career progression**

Do you want to work for an exciting supplier to retailers, dealing with a wide variety of products across toys, and related products?

Our client is looking to strengthen the Product team with a driven and proactive individual, who’s eager to learn and develop their existing skills, in an exciting and fast paced creative working environment.

Job Purpose:

To own and drive the creative and commercial development of product ranges across assigned brands and categories, becoming a recognised expert in the market. This includes curating seasonal collections across all relevant price points and formats, delivering trend-led products ahead of competitors, and responding to customer-specific briefs with speed, quality, and cost efficiency. The role also requires ongoing development of everyday core SKUs, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptability to market demands.

Duties include:

Market & Trend Insight

Conduct regular in-store and online competitive shopping to identify market trends, product formats, pricing, and emerging opportunities.
Capture detailed notes and photographs, saving findings in the designated shared folders for team access.
Present insights to the wider team to inform product strategy and range development.

Range Building & Concept Development

Create commercially viable ranges that align with customer requirements, brand identity, and trend insights.
Develop draft range plans including SKUs, RRPs, item descriptions, packaging concepts, and supplier recommendations.

Supplier Sourcing & Cost Management

Identify, evaluate, and build relationships with suitable suppliers.
Negotiate quotations to ensure competitiveness and margin requirements are met.
Work with the Product Admin to maintain accurate and up-to-date pricing and specifications.

Project Management & Communication

Set up dedicated Teams project chats to manage cross-functional communication and file sharing.
Maintain an up-to-date development range plan as a working document accessible to all relevant teams.
Set and monitor clear deadlines to ensure smooth workflows.

Style Files & Documentation

Oversee the creation and maintenance of style files for every item in development.
Ensure all specifications are confirmed, clear, and approved before progressing.

Artwork & Presentation Approvals

Review and approve all product, packaging, and presenter page artwork.
Ensure designs are proofread and details are accurate to achieve ‘right first time’ sampling.
Approve final sales presentations before release.

Person Specification:

Strong commercial acumen
Exceptional communication abilities
Proficient in numerical analysis and data interpretation
Confident and engaging presenter
Highly skilled in negotiation and influencing
Enthusiasm for developing innovative and distinctive product formats
Sharp eye for product detail and quality
Creative mindset with a naturally curious approach
Skilled at identifying emerging trends and opportunities
Decisive and effective under pressure

Apply online or for further information please contact one of our specialist consultants quoting reference number: NJR16066