Head of Buying (Fixed-Term)

The role We are looking to hire a Head of Fashion Buying to join our Content team in London on a fixed-term basis to cover the maternity leave of an existing employee. This is a fixed-term role until November 2026. This is an office-based role out of our London office. Working at WGSN Together, we create tomorrow  A career with WGSN is fast-paced, exciting and full of opportunities to grow and develop. We're a team of consumer and design trend forecasters, content creators, designers, data analysts, advisory consultants and much more, united by a common goal: to create tomorrow.  WGSN's trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory. If you are an expert in your field, we want to hear from you.    Role overview  We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Head of Fashion Buying (Interim) to lead WGSN’s Fashion Buying content function during a maternity leave period. This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and delivering the global content strategy across the Buying platform, ensuring it drives measurable client value, commercial growth and market authority. This role operates at the level of an in-brand Head of Buying. You will oversee the Buying content roadmap end-to-end — from long-term strategic direction and platform positioning to day-to-day team leadership and cross-functional alignment. As the most senior buying authority within Content, you will represent WGSN externally as a thought leader and internally as the strategic voice of the buyer across product, sales and marketing initiatives. You will balance strategic thinking with operational rigour — ensuring Buying content is commercially impactful, future-facing and seamlessly integrated into the broader Fashion ecosystem. Key accountabilities Strategic Leadership & Vision - Define and lead the global Fashion Buying content strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives, product roadmap and revenue priorities. - Maintain clear content pillars and seasonal frameworks that support buyers across key milestones in the buying lifecycle. - Identify white space opportunities across reports, dashboards and data products to strengthen the Buying ecosystem. - Ensure Buying content remains differentiated, commercially actionable and indispensable to clients. - Shape how Buying content integrates alongside Fashion Design platform, Data dashboards, Buying tools, Pulse and TikTok Dashboard to create a cohesive client journey. Team Leadership & Development - Lead, mentor and develop the Buying team, fostering high performance and clear accountability. - Elevate standards of insight, commercial depth and storytelling across all Buying outputs. - Provide clear direction on priorities, workflows and long-term team structure. - Oversee resource planning and workload management to ensure sustainable delivery. - Act as final editorial authority for key strategic reports. Commercial Impact & Client Authority - Partner closely with Sales, Client Services and Marketing to support client acquisition, retention and growth. - Act as senior representative in high-level client meetings, workshops, webinars and industry events. - Identify revenue-driving opportunities including bespoke projects, advisory, workshops and partnerships. - Translate client feedback and market signals into actionable content evolution. - Serve as a visible external thought leader, providing media commentary and industry POV. Cross-Functional Influence - Collaborate with Product, Data Science and Analytics teams to shape future Buying tools and dashboards. - Influence prioritisation of platform developments that impact the Buying customer. - Ensure seamless integration of proprietary data (ecommerce, search, catwalk, social, consumer) into Buying narratives. - Act as the Buying voice in global content planning and Fashion leadership discussions. Content & Forecast Direction - Oversee macro and micro trend development from a buyer lens, ensuring commercial clarity. - Ensure all reports clearly link trend insight to assortment strategy, pricing architecture, risk management and retail formats. - Maintain strong global market visibility across premium, mid-market and value sectors. - Guide forecasting direction to ensure it is future-proofed against structural shifts (supply chain, sustainability, AI, consumer behaviour shifts, etc.). This list is not exhaustive and there may be other activities you are required to deliver. Skills, experience & qualifications required - Extensive senior-level experience within fashion buying at Head of Buying level or equivalent. - Deep expertise across womenswear, with strong cross-category and cross-channel understanding. - Activewear experience a plus - Experience operating across monobrand, multibrand and omnichannel retail environments preferred. - Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams. - Strong strategic planning capability with the ability to connect long-term vision to tactical execution. - Commercially minded with clear understanding of margin architecture, OTB management, pricing strategy and risk mitigation. - Demonstrated experience using quantitative and qualitative data to drive decision-making. - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to influence senior stakeholders with clarity and authority. - Comfortable representing a brand at C-suite level externally. - Strong cross-functional collaboration skills across product, analytics, sales and marketing. - Technical proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. - Familiarity with data tools (SQL, Tableau) advantageous.