Graduate Buying Programme

Summary

This isn’t just choosing what to stock. This is picking a great career.

Our Buyers play a major role in influencing every aspect of the range of goods that we offer to our customers: from which products we sell, to the way they look and taste, developing our supply base and continuing to drive our market-leading position.

The Buying Graduate Management Programme will take you through an intense, challenging but incredibly rewarding two years of structured development. You’ll experience everything from working in our stores, to negotiating products and contracts, all on an international scale. This role offers the long-term scope to become a permanent Assistant Buying Manager with opportunities for further long-term progression.

Our Junior Buyers thrive in our fast moving, highly pressured environment where everyone has a voice and we want to hear yours! This role is about having a passion for food retail and the desire to become an expert in your field. We look for individuals who are self-motivated, intuitive with a desire of going above and beyond their expectations. Our 935 + Stores depend on you when choosing the right products for our customers

If you are someone who stands out from the crowd and who wants to make an impact come and join our successful Graduate Buying Programme! We look forward to seeing your application.

What you’ll do

• Consider yourself to be a Foodie – you’re our product developer after all
• Be comfortable making multi million pound decisions
• Own your categories and you are responsible for everything from the tasting of samples to the sign off of packaging design – our success is down to you
• Manage the critical path from product concept to launch into our depots and ensure the stock arrives on time
• Demonstrate an ability to challenge the status quo and always bringing your own ideas
• Be confident building and maintaining new and existing relationships with suppliers
• Use your sharp analytical skills along with the ability to identify trends, forecast sales and analyse data to support commercial decisions but don’t be afraid to go with your gut feeling
• Drive to succeed and deliver outstanding results
• Negotiate the best possible commercial terms for the business
• Constantly striving to improve our customer offer. Getting better never stops.
• Work as part of a team but equally happy when working independently on your categories
• Experience working in a fast paced, challenging environment and develop yourself in a demanding and dynamic environment
• Spinning lots of plates at any one time – multi tasking is your thin

What you’ll need

• A 2:2 degree or above in any discipline by September 2023 or graduated no earlier than September 2021
• Possession of a full UK driving licence by 1 st March 2023
• Already live – or happy to relocate – within a one-hour commute of Lidl GB Head Office, Tolworth, Surrey
• To be legally entitled to work in the UK on a full-time basis
• German language skills desirable but not essential
• Be passionate about the food retail industry
• Common sense, pragmatic, logical and quick thinking are all the words people would use to describe you
• Self-starter with entrepreneurial spirit
• A positive mental attitude at all times even in stressful situations
• Be assertive and confident in your communication skills
• Have presence, confidence and conviction in your ideas
• Works well under pressure and to tight and often conflicting deadlines
• Able to attend the assessment day on 24 th or 25 th February 2023

What you’ll receive

This isn’t getting by. This is getting what you deserve. Working at Lidl is rewarding, in every sense, because we give you the training to succeed in your role and plenty of opportunities to progress your career. We’re proud to offer a competitive salary of £37,000 with an additional non-contractual 10% London weighting company car* and a generous holiday allowance for your 23-month contract . Save for your future with our pension scheme, or save today with an in-store discount, plus extra discounts on days out, cinema tickets and much more.

Please note your employment is conditional upon the Company’s receipt of satisfactory references and if requested by the Company, a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Closing date for Applications: 19 th December 2022

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised date. This is to ensure our teams can manage application levels while maintaining a positive candidate experience. Once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Tagged as: graduate, PR