Buying & Vendor Management Lead

Who we are

We're the people behind the global loyalty currency, Avios, and home to three ambitious, growing businesses; IAG Loyalty, British Airways Holidays and IAG Loyalty Retail home to The Wine Flyer . Each business has its own goals and strategy, but collectively we create brilliant experiences for our global customers.

We're on a truly exciting journey of growth and transformation - we're going places! This is where you come in.

The opportunity

As the Senior Buying and Vendor Manager, you are responsible for overseeing both the buying and vendor relationship teams to ensure we deliver a commercially successful, customer-relevant product range. You will lead the sourcing and selection of products across various categories and manage supplier relationships to secure favourable terms, consistent performance, and high product quality. Your leadership ensures that the teams deliver the right products at the right time, at the right price-supporting business goals and customer satisfaction.

This role is based out of our London office. We call our approach to hybrid working The Blend - it's about giving you the flexibility to choose where you do your best work, while staying connected with your team and the wider business. This means you will be required to spend at least two days per week in the office, with the rest of the time working from home. You may also be required to work from one of our other office or partner locations, based on your role and 'to do' list.

What you'll get up to

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and manage the Buying and Vendor Relationship teams, providing day-to-day direction, coaching, and support.

• Set clear goals and KPIs for team members aligned with commercial objectives.

• Foster a collaborative, high-performing team environment focused on accountability and results.

• Support career development, identify skill gaps, and promote continuous learning

Buying Strategy & Product Selection

• Develop and implement buying strategies that align with business objectives and customer needs.

• Oversee the sourcing and curation of products across physical (e.g. wine, travel), service (e.g. car hire, hotels), and digital categories (e.g. Avios, vouchers).

• Ensure a well-balanced and profitable assortment that meets demand and reflects market trends.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to assess product performance and drive improvements.

Supplier & Vendor Relationship Management

• Manage key supplier relationships and lead commercial negotiations to ensure competitive terms, service levels, and product quality.

• Hold suppliers accountable to agreed KPIs and ensure contractual obligations are met.

• Lead the onboarding of new suppliers and ensure due diligence, compliance, and alignment with business values.

• Identify opportunities to diversify and strengthen the supplier base.

Pricing & Commercial Insight

• Contribute to pricing decisions to maintain competitiveness and margin targets.

• Use market insight, supplier input, and internal data to support effective commercial decision-making.

• Monitor and react to changes in supply, demand, and market conditions.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Marketing, Ecommerce, and Finance to ensure alignment between buying strategies and wider business objectives.

• Share insights and collaborate with stakeholders to support promotional activity and revenue performance.

Process & Continuous Improvement

• Champion continuous improvement across buying and supplier processes.

• Identify and implement improvements to increase team efficiency, supplier reliability, and product turnaround.

• Ensure best practices in documentation, compliance, and vendor management processes.

What we need from you

• Proven experience in a senior buying or supplier management role, ideally within a multi-category product environment (e.g. retail, loyalty, travel, digital).

• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.

• Strong commercial negotiation skills and vendor relationship experience.

• A customer-focused mindset with the ability to balance quality, margin, and service.

• Analytical and data-driven, with sound decision-making skills.

• Comfortable managing complexity and working cross-functionally.

• Excellent communication skills-clear, persuasive, and collaborative.

• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and process.

We might not be right for you if:

• You only want to focus on your to-do list; we're a small, high-performing team, we help each other to succeed.

• You value perfection over fast iteration and progress; IAG Loyalty moves fast, we learn and iterate as we go; our environment isn't right for everyone.

• You're looking to create but not build; this is an end-to-end role, you need to be comfortable owning your space, from ideation through to delivery and review.

If you think you have what it takes but don't meet every single point above, please do still apply. We'd love to chat and see if you could be a great fit.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at IAG Loyalty

Our vision, 'to create the world's most rewarding experiences,' applies not only to our customers but for our colleagues too. It's about taking belonging seriously, actively fostering a culture where everyone feels welcomed and valued by embracing diverse identities, personal histories, and perspectives.

This commitment makes IAG Loyalty a rewarding place to work and enhances our ability to solve complex problems, drive innovation, and better serve our customers and communities.

Please let us know if we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your interview process with us.