Head of Horticulture

We have an exciting opportunity to join our client based in Reading and contribute to the growth and success of a highly dynamic and rapidly growing company. As a newly created role, this provides a unique opportunity to leave a legacy in a business that is on a strong growth trajectory. You will likely split your time between the Reading Head Office and being out developing relationships with new suppliers.

This role will be accountable for delivering the client's future ambitious growth targets for the expansion of their horticulture category. You will introduce and develop new product lines to expand their range and will be strong at developing new strategic alliances with suppliers and nurseries. Your commercial mindset will also enable you to understand how to optimise revenue opportunities and provide an attractive offering to their customers, always thinking ahead and being prepared for any eventuality. Supported by a great team, you will be a leader who can motivate, coach and develop.

Responsibilities:

• People: Lead, coach, motivate and develop a team of buyers and administrators
• Category Development: Accountable for analysing and optimising opportunities to grow and develop the category and for the development of growing and dropship programmes with buyers / nurseries / growers.
• Customer: Work closely with our Customer Service team to improve the customer experience. Continue developing systems and processes to ensure effective communications to customers on growing times, availability and delivery. Work with the teams to ensure customer expectations in terms of quality and service are always exceeded.
• Strategic Alliance Development: Build and maintain relationships with suppliers/growers and nurseries using experience to aid the buyers in negotiations and development of our partnerships to maximise profits / service and exclusive opportunities.
• Stock control and forecasting: Accountable for managing stock control across multiple sites/nurseries - maximising the stock holding for peak periods and reducing wastage and stock loss. Excellent liaison with the logistics teams on outputs from nurseries to ensure smooth collection and delivery particularly around seasonal peaks.
• Promotions: Work together with marketing teams and buyers to create a first-class promotional calendar.
• Reporting: Generate monthly reporting for category sales / stock performance against budget/plan up to Director / Board Level.
• Commercial: Work with the finance teams to develop forecasts and forward plans and budgets. Optimise cross-selling opportunities with other categories. Ongoing budget management.
• Communication: Effective communication of plans and any changes to all areas including wider buying team, marketing and directors to ensure imagery, video, page creation are completed in line with the plan and the opportunity maximised.

Key experience you'll have:

• Significant buying experience, ideally within buying within Horticulture or within FMCG perishable goods
• Experience in 'Growing Programmes'
• Strong purchasing experience, with significant experience in leading negotiations.
• Retail experience in how to optimise sales revenue
• Leading, managing and developing teams
• E-commerce experience desirable

About you

• Strategic thinker with experience in how to grow and develop a category
• Strong negotiation skills, ideally with experience in purchasing
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Coach and mentor
• Excellent analytical capability