Buying & Merchandising Director

Role: Buying & Merchandising Director

Location: DFYNE HQ, 1 Forrest Gate, Uddingston, G71 5PG

Work Location: Onsite

About You:

Are you a commercial strategist, a margin driven operator, and a relationship builder who knows how to turn great ideas into commercially successful ranges? Do you understand customers, trends, and the psychology behind why people buy and how to build ranges that deliver sell through, profitability, and brand consistency? Are you as comfortable negotiating with suppliers as you are analysing performance data, and do you thrive in fast paced, high growth environments where you can build, optimise, and scale?

If you bring a blend of commercial sharpness, operational discipline, and customer first thinking, DFYNE may be the place for you.

About DFYNE:

A picture paints a thousand words… and we’re sure you don’t want to be sat here reading an essay of corporate “about us” spiel…. Seriously, how’re you able to really get under the skin of what we’re about from a few words on a screen? So why don’t you have a look and see what we’re all about for yourself - www.dfyne.com.

About the role - DFYNE Your Career:

First off, it’s best I introduce myself (person behind the keyboard here), it’s not the norm on a job role spec, but I feel it’s important you get introduced to who you might be working with for a long time early on. I’m Jay, Chief Commercial Officer at DFYNE, and I’m looking for someone who’s going to help us take DFYNE’s commercial buying engine to the next level, as well as supporting DFYNE’s next stage in global growth.

The Buying & Merchandising Director will lead DFYNE’s global buying function. Owning supplier partnerships, commercial negotiations, range planning, cost optimisation, and stock flow. You’ll build a buying engine that delivers quality, reliability, and strong margins, ensuring DFYNE’s products land on time, at the right cost, and at the right commercial impact.

Attitude:

• Builder energy
• Customer obsessed mindset
• Grounded confidence
• Commercial creativity
• Calm command

Key Responsibilities:

• Own DFYNE’s global buying strategy, ensuring commercial strength, supplier reliability, and operational feasibility.
• Build, lead, and develop DFYNE’s buying team, creating clear accountability, performance expectations, and succession plans.
• Establish KPIs and performance standards across the buying function, ensuring alignment with commercial and operational objectives.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on commercial outcomes, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead seasonal and annual range planning from a commercial perspective (quantities, cost targets, supplier allocation, timelines).
• Build and manage supplier relationships that deliver quality, consistency, and ethical standards.
• Negotiate costs, terms, MOQs, and lead times to maximise margin and minimise risk.
• Manage critical path and production timelines, ensuring on-time delivery and smooth stock flow.
• Use performance data to optimise buying decisions, forecast demand, and refine future commercial plans.
• Partner with Product, Design, and Marketing to ensure commercial alignment.
• Ensure compliance, quality assurance, and ethical sourcing across all suppliers and factories.
• Monitor market trends and competitor pricing to inform commercial decision-making.
• Drive continuous improvement in buying processes, supplier performance, and cost efficiency.
• Travel internationally to suppliers, factories, and key commercial partners when required.

Experience Needed:

• Senior buying leadership experience in a high growth brand, ideally fitness, lifestyle, fashion, or consumer goods.
• Proven track record of delivering strong margins, cost optimisation, and supplier performance improvements.
• Demonstrated success in global supplier management, negotiation, and production oversight.
• Experience working with international suppliers, factories, and diverse commercial markets.
• Strong understanding of fabrication, costing structures, MOQs, and production timelines.
• Comfort using data to drive commercial decisions, forecast demand, and optimise stock flow.
• Owning inventory performance, balancing availability, working capital, stock turn, and markdown risk.
• Experience operating within a multi-million-pound inventory or purchasing budget environment.

Skills:

• Commercial strategy
• Negotiation & supplier management
• Costing & margin optimisation
• Critical path management
• Datadriven decision making
• Stock flow & forecasting

What success might look like within the first 12 months:

• Improved gross margin performance.
• Strengthened supplier partnerships and terms.
• Enhanced forecasting accuracy.
• Reduced stock risk and improved stock turn.
• Increased on-time delivery performance.
• Creation of scalable buying processes to support growth.

So, what’s in it for you?

If you’ve made it this far down without being put off, brilliant. I’d love to hear from you. Besides a work family and a great place to work, you’ll have an opportunity to grow with the company, be a part of the journey, and have a vital input into helping continue the crazy growth we’ve already seen. You’ll play a vital role in shaping DFYNE’s commercial success.

You’ll be part of a high challenge; high reward culture.

What will aid a successful application with DFYNE:

• Cover letter
• Completed questionnaire

Additional pay:

• Bonus scheme

Benefits:

• Bereavement leave
• Casual dress
• Company events
• Employee discount
• Flexitime
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay
• Unlimited paid holidays
• Free on-site gym

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Uddingston, G71 5PG: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary:

• Starting from £70,000 annually.

Equality and diversity monitoring

DFYNE wants to meet the aims and commitments set out in our equality policy. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010.

Please complete this form to help us understand the diversity of our candidates.

Completing this form is voluntary and the information provided will be kept confidential. The information is going to be used to help us understand the diversity of our organisation.

None of the information you provide will be linked to your application and is completely anonymous
(https://forms.gle/LQiAKzDb6CUzS9Bm7)