Production Buyer

Role overview

The Flat Lay Co. is hiring a full-time Production Buyer to take ownership of buying and production operations for its own-brand products. This position suits someone with experience sourcing from manufacturers for own-label fashion, accessories, or home goods, and who is comfortable leading a department with a high level of autonomy.

The role combines strategic purchasing with production coordination. You will handle the full journey from factory sourcing and commercial negotiation through to samples, manufacturing, compliance, and final collection. The business is looking for someone proactive, detail-oriented, and motivated by the chance to contribute meaningfully to the growth of a fast-moving scale-up brand.

This is a hybrid position based in Greater London, with at least 1 to 2 days each week in the Central London office. The role is full-time and permanent, though part-time working may be considered for the right person.

About the company

The Flat Lay Co. is a London-based beauty accessories brand founded in 2017. It began with the original Flat Lay Makeup Bag and has since grown into an international business used by millions of customers worldwide. Its products are stocked by retailers such as Boots, Sephora UK, and ASOS, and have appeared in publications including Vogue, Elle, and Sheerluxe.

The company’s products are developed in its London studio, with a focus on practical, thoughtful design that helps bring order and calm to everyday beauty routines. The team is collaborative, entrepreneurial, and open to ideas from every level, with a culture of helping each other and improving how the business works.

What the role involves

This role covers both buying strategy and production delivery. You will manage the commercial and operational side of product development, working with the design team on new product development from the perspective of cost and manufacturability, while also partnering closely with the Supply Chain Manager.

You will support around 7 to 10 new product development collections each year, including internal launches as well as exclusives and collaborations with retailers or other brands. Because opportunities can arise quickly, the production timeline may change often, and the role requires a flexible and creative approach to meeting tight deadlines.

Quality and compliance are central responsibilities. You will be expected to maintain full visibility over testing, certification, and factory quality standards at every stage.

Key responsibilities

Strategic buying and commercial ownership

• Take end-to-end ownership of supplier relationships, including negotiation of pricing, payment terms, and delivery timelines to strengthen margins as the business grows.
• Develop strong commercial relationships with manufacturers by understanding their needs and creating mutually beneficial terms rather than simply placing purchase orders.
• Maintain and analyse component-level costings and bills of materials, identifying opportunities to reduce spend without lowering product quality.
• Identify, assess, and onboard new factories when required, presenting practical options and recommendations to the team.

Production and critical path management

• Oversee the full production critical path, including new product development, while collaborating closely with the design team.
• Regularly adjust timelines and workflows, using creative problem-solving to respond to unexpected deadlines or new commercial opportunities.
• Arrange product and packaging testing for chemical and other compliance requirements in all relevant markets.
• Monitor quality control activities at factories and ensure they are being carried out to the required standard.
• Track and resolve quality or delivery problems early, escalating issues clearly before they affect retailer relationships.

Compliance and regulatory ownership

• Own product and packaging compliance from start to finish, coordinating all required testing and maintaining an accurate record of products that are compliant, due for retesting, or overdue.
• Keep up to date with product, packaging, and import/export regulations across the markets the business sells into, and highlight any process or product changes needed ahead of new rules.
• Respond to retailer requests for product, packaging, and regulatory composition information.

Departmental improvement

• Review and refine processes for sourcing, production, and compliance tracking to reduce cost, lower risk, and close operational gaps.
• Bring considered improvement ideas backed by practical reasoning and business impact where relevant.
• Create clear reporting and visibility tools so the wider team can quickly see production status and emerging risks.

Candidate profile

You should be commercially minded, highly organised, and confident taking ownership of complex production work. The ideal person will think in terms of margin, leverage, and supplier relationships, while also maintaining strong attention to detail across multiple live projects.

You will be expected to take visible responsibility for outcomes, including difficult issues, and to maintain a firm stance on compliance and quality even when deadlines are under pressure. A proactive mindset and an interest in finding better ways of working are essential, along with confidence in sharing those ideas with the team.

Experience and background

The role calls for at least 5 years of experience in buying, sourcing, or production for a consumer product brand, ideally with own-label or private-label experience. You should also have a solid track record of negotiating directly with factories on cost, terms, and delivery, rather than only managing existing supplier accounts.

Experience with product and packaging compliance, regulatory requirements, quality control, and critical path management across several product lines is important. You should also understand product and chemical compliance across the UK, EU, and US. Strong communication skills and the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and projects at once are also required.

Additional advantage is experience finding and onboarding new factories, as well as familiarity with bonded warehousing or international stock strategies.

Location and working arrangement

This position is based in Greater London and follows a hybrid working model, with a minimum of 1 to 2 days per week in the Central London office.

Employment terms

The position is offered on a full-time, permanent basis. Part-time arrangements may be considered for a suitable candidate.