Product Developer - Buyer

Job Description

We are looking for a commercially driven and highly organised Product Developer / Buyer to join our team.

In this role, you will have end-to-end responsibility for your assigned product groups — from concept, development and sourcing through buying and final delivery. You will combine product expertise with strong commercial judgement, working closely with Design, Planning, Finance, Production and suppliers to ensure we develop and buy the right products, at the right cost, quality and timing.

What you will do

• Lead the product development process from concept to bulk, ensuring products meet our quality, commercial and technical requirements.
• Plan and manage your projects within the company ETE, ensuring key milestones and deadlines are met. Proactively identify risks or delays, flag when timelines are not workable and propose solutions to keep projects on track.
• Establish target costs during the early development phase and work closely with Design and suppliers to ensure product concepts can be delivered within agreed COGS and margin targets. Challenge construction, materials, specifications and production methods where required to achieve commercial objectives.
• Take responsibility for buying and purchasing within your assigned product groups, including order quantities, purchase orders, delivery dates and purchasing accuracy.
• Work closely with Planning and Finance to analyse sales, forecasts and inventory, ensuring purchasing quantities are optimised and aligned with stock, cash flow and margin targets.
• Manage supplier negotiations and price development, balancing cost, quality, capacity and delivery requirements.
• Source and develop products with our suppliers, managing sampling, approvals, testing and production follow-up.
• Ensure products meet agreed standards for quality, fit, construction, colour and performance before bulk production. Follow up production issues with suppliers and drive corrective actions where required.
• Build strong supplier relationships and continuously identify opportunities to improve cost, quality and delivery performance.
• Ensure accurate product, costing and purchasing data in our PLM and ERP systems.

Who are you?

You are a structured, proactive and commercially minded person who enjoys taking ownership and making things happen. You are comfortable moving between product development and commercial decision-making, and can balance creativity with numbers, deadlines and business priorities.

You have:

• Experience in Product Development, Buying, Sourcing or a combination of these, ideally within fashion, textiles or accessories.
• Strong understanding of product development, manufacturing, costing and purchasing.
• Experience working with international suppliers and negotiating prices.
• A good understanding of forecasting, purchasing quantities, inventory and commercial performance.
• A strong ability to plan, prioritise and manage timelines.
• Excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A hands-on, collaborative approach and the confidence to challenge when something can be done better.

This is a role for someone who wants real ownership — from product idea to purchase order, and from cost target to final delivery.

About Happy Socks

Happy Socks aims to spread happiness by turning an everyday essential into a colorful design piece. The business is built on foundations of rigid quality standards, craftsmanship and creativity that are transferred into the products by a talented team of creatives. The products feature endless variations of models and designs, using a broad spectrum of color combinations and original patterns.