Head of Buying

Team
Fashion, Home & Beauty
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Position type
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Closing date: 28th September 2026
Apply now

How We Hire

Everyone is welcome at M&S. No exceptions. It’s your background, abilities and differences that make you, uniquely you. And when you’re part of M&S, that individuality has the potential to make waves.

About the role

This section tells you all you need to know about the position and its responsibilities, outlining everything we hope to see in a successful candidate.

All the details

At M&S, we're reinventing retail and creating products our customers love. We're looking for an experienced Head of Buying to lead our Homewares Buying department within our Fashion, Home & Beauty division, shaping the product strategy, driving commercial performance, and inspiring high-performing teams to deliver market-leading ranges.

This is a pivotal leadership role with global responsibility for Home. You'll combine customer insight, commercial acumen and product expertise to deliver exceptional product propositions that drive sales, margin and market share across multiple channels.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

What you'll do

Your key accountabilities will include:

  • Defining and delivering the long-term product strategy for Home, driving sales, margin and market share growth across all channels.
  • Leading the commercial performance of the business, using customer insight, market trends and trading opportunities to shape a compelling product offer.
  • Partnering with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, Marketing and Digital teams to create market-leading ranges that excite customers and strengthen the M&S brand.
  • Building and maintaining strong supplier and sourcing partnerships to deliver great product, value and profitability.
  • Leading, developing and inspiring a high-performing Buying team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and succession planning.

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include:

  • Significant senior Buying experience within a major home or multi-category retailer, with experience leading large teams.
  • A proven track record of developing successful customer-focused product strategies that deliver strong commercial results.
  • Strong commercial acumen with expertise in trading, margin management, supplier negotiations and global sourcing.
  • Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple functions and senior stakeholders.
  • An inspiring people leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, navigates ambiguity confidently and develops high-performing teams.

What's in it for you?

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We're inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.

Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

· 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you've completed your probation
· Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
· Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
· Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
· Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
· Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
· Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
· 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
· One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you

Everyone's welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We are disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We are transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

#L1-SP1 #LI-Hybrid

Click to skip quote slider carousel
Kadeem Assistant Merchandiser
Adam Junior Merchandiser

I am fascinated by fashion trends but for me it really makes sense when I see the sales figures on screen. When I’m able to paint the picture with percentages, we can be more innovative as a team.

Kadeem (He / Him) | Assistant Merchandiser Read full story

Merchandising is all about getting the right stock, in the right place, in the right quantities, to drive up profit. So I like getting out to stores, seeing the products on display and hearing what customers are saying. That helps me to seize the moment and capitalise on current opportunities to go way beyond forecast.

Adam (He / Him) | Junior Merchandiser Read full story

Benefits

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Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what.

Gender Equality Network

Addressing gender-related challenges, raising awareness, and driving action to ensure equal opportunities for all.

Culture and Heritage Network

Raising awareness of various religions and cultures through events and comms, to educate others and better represent our M&S colleagues and customers.

Cancer Network

Fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, addressing stigma, providing guidance and raising awareness to empower and assist colleagues affected by cancer.

Forces Community Network

Supporting colleagues connected to the Armed Forces, aiding their transition to civilian life, and ensuring that they thrive in the workplace.

LGBTQ+ Network

Proactively representing LGBTQ+ issues and opportunities to deliver a truly inclusive place to work and shop for our colleagues and customers.

Family & Carers Network

A support network for parents and carers, offering a space for colleagues to share experiences, exchange ideas, and access useful resources.

Health and Wellbeing Network

Providing a safe space for colleagues with all types of health conditions or disabilities and supporting with business initiatives to ensure our stores are truly accessible for our customers.

Menopause Network

Initiating and encouraging open conversations about menopause by offering support and sharing experiences.

How to Apply

Here’s what to expect at each stage of the application process. This can change depending on the role you’ve applied to. If you need any reasonable adjustments made at any stage, let us know and we can help.

Send us your application

Fill in our short application form and hit submit.

Online assessment

We’ll invite you to take part in an online assessment. This could be before or after your interview.

Interview

We'll invite you to join us for an interview. This could be remote or in person. Here, we'll ask you some role based technical questions and examine the behaviours we're looking for. 

Decision

After we’ve decided, we’ll be in touch. If you’ve been successful, we’ll officially invite you to join the team and let you know the next steps.

Head of Buying

Team
Fashion, Home & Beauty
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Position type
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Closing date: 28th September 2026
Reference: 127637