Assistant Supply Base Manager

At Seasalt we live and breathe our product and are proud of the exceptional quality and level of care we take in design and sourcing, to deliver beautiful garments which are loved by our customers. Based on the Cornish coast, we're a multi-channel lifestyle brand with over 70 shops across the UK & Ireland, over 400 wholesale stockists and a growing online business.

Our Sourcing team are responsible for working closely with our suppliers to ensure they meet our ethics, social, sustainable and compliance requirements. They collaborate with our Product teams including Designers and Buyers to identify gaps in the supply base, and actively source new sources that are aligned with our values, high-quality standards and the business sourcing strategy.

As our Assistant Supply Base Manager, you’ll report to our Director of Sourcing & Supply Base and will support with all sourcing requirements, including the performance management and development of our supply base. You’ll maximise opportunity, mitigate risk and ensure our suppliers meet the long-term needs of our business.

You’ll line manage our Sourcing Assistant, providing energised leadership, managing performance and setting clear objectives with constructive feedback. This role offers the opportunity to work cross functionally and build excellent working relationships across the business and with our suppliers.

Please note, as part of our Seasalt Connected approach to ways of working, this role will be based flexibly across our Cornwall head office locations (minimum 40% of working week but the nature of some roles may require more working time in our head offices) and remotely within the UK.

You’ll Help Us By

Collaborating with Product teams, you’ll identify sourcing opportunities for long-term business growth while responding to market changes that impact sourcing decisions. You'll take a questioning approach to deepen your understanding and effectively challenge the supply base, ensuring that suppliers remain proactive and aligned with business goals.

You’ll oversee performance of our suppliers, conducting appraisals, driving development, ensuring compliance, and handling contracts. You’ll ensure data is captured in our systems and results are communicated with product teams and suppliers, discussing highlights or areas of focus. Leading supplier calls and maintaining strong communication, you’ll build robust working relationships with suppliers, ensuring they fully understand our business needs and procedures while keeping them informed of any changes.

You’ll actively develop existing suppliers and source new ones to meet the business's long-term strategy. This involves negotiating and finalising contracts, ensuring responsible supply practices, and maximising opportunities while mitigating risks.

Furthermore, you’ll maintain a cross-costing document and communicate with the product teams and suppliers any sourcing shifts that may impact them, providing opportunities to increase costs.

The Skills You’ll Be Sharing With The Team

• Experience in retail, ideally Head Office in Buying/Sourcing/Procurement, or in stores.
• Problem solving – overcoming issues, proposing solutions, making commercial decisions.
• Perform under pressure and operate in a fast paced environment.
• Strong system knowledge, including Excel, and other Microsoft applications.
• Strong organisation skills, project management, process management.
• Good understanding of cost management.
• Effective communication at all levels and ability to influence others.
• Ability to delegate, support and assist with training needs for your team.
• Self-motivated.
• Good organisational skills and ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to confidently present to suppliers and key stakeholders.
  
  

Why We Hope You’ll Love Working With Us

The success of Seasalt is down to the skill and hard work of our team. We don't just want to attract the best and brightest people to come and work with us, we want you to stay and grow with us. From the moment your Seasalt journey begins, it's our pledge to support you by providing dedicated learning and development opportunities that will enhance your day-to-day working life and help you build your skills and knowledge.

Benefits

As well as doing everything we can to boost your development professionally, we believe encouraging personal growth is just as important. So you can fulfil your passion and purpose, not just at work but in life, we offer a range of benefits that are designed to enhance your career and wellbeing:

• Salary: up to £28,000 depending on experience (Band 2)
• 34 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), increasing with length of service
• Attractive 50% employee discount
• Flexible benefits allowance to personalise your benefits package
• Private Medical Scheme including 24/7 virtual GP
• Free access to our Employee Assistance Programme through Retail Trust with 24/7 support
• Pension plan with generous 7% employer contributions
• Life assurance programme
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Flexible working opportunities with our ‘blended’ working approach
• Learning and Development opportunities including specialist training, coaching opportunities, and professional qualification support
• Paid volunteering opportunities
• Employee networks to develop and provide support to our people, including the Inclusion Network and Culture Crew
• 100s of savings on top retailers and gym memberships through our discount hub
  
  

At Seasalt we have a brilliant team of people – they're what make Seasalt a fantastic place to work. We love to celebrate uniqueness and are committed to making Seasalt a place where everyone feels they belong. As an inclusive employer, we want to invite a diverse range of candidates to apply for our roles.

We aim to work flexibly where possible and value a range of perspectives - diversity of thought helps us to grow – so please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come to work every day. We're happy to help with any adjustments to our recruitment process and beyond. Just drop us an email at careers@seasaltcornwall.co.uk