Purchasing Assistant

Role Overview

This role focuses primarily on purchasing. The main objective is to support the purchasing team by ensuring that Purchase Orders are properly prepared, organized, and tracked, so goods and services are purchased on time and within budget.

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Key Responsibilities

This role is responsible for the end-to-end procurement process—from product planning and sourcing to ordering and delivery coordination. The focus is on sourcing quality and differentiated products for Designer Blooms’ collections, primarily from China and other international suppliers as the business grows.

Scope of Work:

1. Planning

• Curate and propose product ideas aligned with brand direction, seasonality, and customer needs
• Balance new and differentiated finds with Designer Blooms' proven bestsellers
• Research trends and review customer feedback and past performance to guide product selections

1. Sourcing

• Identify local and international suppliers (currently focused on China, but may expand to other countries the future)
• Coordinate with sourcing agents for supplier communication, pricing, terms, and samples
• Join buying trips abroad to evaluate products, negotiate deals, and build supplier relationships
• Support negotiations to ensure competitive costs, quality assurance, and favorable lead times

1. Ordering

• Prepare and submit accurate, detailed, and approved Purchase Orders (POs) based on final product selections
• Ensure POs include all correct product information, pricing, terms, and delivery details
• Maintain a well-organized PO tracker to monitor all active, completed, and pending orders
• File and manage complete documentation (quotations, supplier info, product specs, invoices, and delivery receipts)
• Provide regular status updates to leadership and ensure PO timelines are aligned with campaign or stock needs

1. Delivery & Finance Coordination

• Coordinate with the warehousing team to ensure on-time delivery and accurate receiving reports
• Troubleshoot delivery delays, damaged goods, or order discrepancies with agents or suppliers
• Work with the finance team to ensure prompt processing of supplier payments to avoid shipping or production delays
• Monitor fulfillment timelines and escalate any issues proactively