Creative Director jobs in Brookings, SD

Who are Bird & Blend Tea co? 

Bird & Blend was set up and is run by Krisi and Mike, who met whilst studying Politics (of all things!) at university.  Starting off packing tea in their bedroom and attending markets, building Bird & Blend from scratch while staying true to our ethos and values has been Krisi and Mike’s passion. Now with an awesome team, multiple retail stores & a thriving international online store, Bird & Blend is leading the way in tea innovation in the UK.

You can read heaps more information about us and our mission here:https://www.birdandblendtea.com/pages/our-story

About this role

We are seeking a dynamic, creative & strategic Buyer to join our Operations Team. As an in-house buyer you will be working across our full product development lifecycle; you will play a pivotal role in the creation and procurement of innovative, sustainable & commercially strong products that delight our customers & further our brand goals. 

Product sits at the very heart of our business, underpinning our unmatched reputation for the creation of magical, earth-friendly & innovative tea, tea products & gifts. Our brand & business is growing fast across retail, ecommerce & B2B, presenting a rare opportunity for a talented Buyer to come on board to help bring exciting products to market.

Does this sound like you?

• An exceptional communicator, able to collaborate, nurture, and negotiate at every touchpoint of our Supply Chain, as well as working closely across brand, retail & digital teams to see product launches through from initial concepts through to impactful launch, and post campaign reporting.
• Able to own, and bring to life an NPD creative vision through sustainable Procurement, connecting and liaising across our internal and external stakeholders to ensure supply flows in harmony with our fast-paced campaign schedule.
• Commercially-minded, able to develop and implement strategic processes to ensure our Purchasing function is operating in line with budgets and KPIs, ensuring that throughout your work you add value, mitigate supply chain risk and above all else, deliver cost savings at every opportunity. 
• Relish the challenge to innovate and impact, and are able to be both impeccably detailed and proactive, and brilliantly reactive in your purchasing approach, to maximise on revenue and maintain Bird & Blend’s position at the forefront of Tea Mixology.
• Passionate about & experienced in growth brands in FMCG and/or Food & Beverage, with the skills, contacts & knowledge needed to own the development of products, packaging & assets that hit the brief across brand, margin, commercials & customer insights.
• Looking for the opportunity to work/move inhouse to a growing brand with product innovation & customer experience at its core and relishes the opportunity to build your own role, put in place & improve our ways of working and hopefully grow your team / department further into the future. 

Accountable for:

• Comprehensive knowledge of range and department performance, sales and profit drivers to deliver department KPIs.
• Analyses historical and future trends with Merchandiser to propose product mix, range structure, price architecture, and category mix, taking into consideration our NPD & seasonal calendar, target market and competitors.
• Owning the New Product Development critical path & purchasing, ensuring that key milestones are met to enable a smooth process to launch across production, marketing & retail. 
• Working cross-functionally during & post-launch to review the commercial performance of all product launches, ensuring sales as well as other key KPIs such as new customer acquisition. Embedding learnings and improvements into our product strategy going forward.
• Day-to-day systematic procurement of all BAU supply needs for the business (product, packaging, print etc), holding close relationships with our key suppliers to create a positive & collaborative culture, whilst always striving to further the commercial output.
• Sourcing, auditing, and negotiating throughout our supply chain. You are able to work within the constraints of stipulated Margins to fully realise our creative vision.
• Furthering our Sustainable Procurement. You must hold this as a core focus within all of your work, at every touch point of the supply chain.
• Market monitoring to understand shifts in consumer demands, market trends and competitor positioning, to inform our product strategy.
• Setup of all purchased products/assets within our internal systems.
• Working to collaborate with, negotiate, and engage our key suppliers, to facilitate delivery and compliance with your purchasing strategy.
• Effectively communicating with stakeholders the impact of market change and potential effects on supply. You will need to be able to recommend solutions/resolves without compromising quality or service, while optimising cost.
• All logistics around overseas manufacturing and procurement. You will hold a close relationship with our freight forwarding services and overseas suppliers to ensure timely, cost-effective transportation and delivery.

Working Relationships:

As a member of our Product Family team, you will help to review & create NPD and improve our existing products & range based on external trends, innovation & commercial data. You hold a key voice in building / reviewing our range here, working collaboratively to agree profitable exit strategies for any limited life ranges.

Tight working relationship with our Merchandiser, whose role informs and dictates your purchasing patterns, quantities, and future / NPD Forecasting across all lines. This important relationship serves to ensure we have the right products, at the right prices, at the right time. 

Close working relationship with our Brand Team, to collaborate on brand growth opportunities and customer insights to guide product development strategy in both D2C & B2B. Also ensuring that impending contracts are planned and executed without disrupting our BAU supply chain.

Close working relationship with our Finance Director to ensure that all spend aligns with budget plans across the year.

Close working relationship with our Warehouse Manager, to ensure that purchasing plans are visible and feasible from a Warehousing perspective.

Close working relationship with our wider Operations Team, who ensures that all strands of our planning, purchasing, production, and fulfilment align to best serve the overall business activity and satisfaction of our customers.

Are there any perks?

Of course there are, for all your hard work you will get: 

• To be a member of a small independent who truly cares about its team and will support its team members in any areas in which they wish to grow.
• To be a member of a fun, friendly & supportive team who like to have fun at work. 

• Competitive Salary
• Free tea drinks when working 
• Monthly tea allowance and a generous staff discount
• Retail Trust Membership -Supporting your wellbeing
• Membership of company pension scheme
• Holiday accrual that grows with loyalty
• Bike to work Scheme 
• More coming in May 2024!

Now what? 

All that's left to do is grab yourself a brew and hit apply! 

Don't forget to add a covering letter - we would love to hear a little more about you and your reasons for applying (that's the best bit!)