Challenge for sourcing manager

If you are confident and like to explore new challenges and cultures, this is a perfect opportunity.

Kingfisher, a giant international retailer based in Britain, is on the hunt for a sourcing manager, room solutions, to help drive business growth.

'The most exciting bit of this role is that we are a unique buying office,' said Tracy Wong, regional category manager. 'You can't find a comparable job like this one because it's the way we are working, the approach we are using and the products, especially bathroom concepts that are unique and exceptional in the European buying office in Hong Kong.'

The sourcing manager will carry two main roles: A basic management role of reporting and managing a team, including a certain level of administrative work and driving business growth.

The position is a crucial link between management and the general staff, and the department carries the 'highest potential area for the company to deliver its coming growth', she said.

'They will be doing something they've never done before in terms of building a bathroom concept and putting this concept to the European stores from the sourcing perspective,' Ms Wong said. 'I think this is also the most challenging bit as we are the pioneer.'

The university graduate should have extensive experience in retail, sourcing or distribution of bathroom products for brands, retailers or local distributors, and have product expertise in bathroom and kitchen related products.

'With our retail companies in Europe, [room solutions] is a huge growth area and something that they are really focusing on, and it's getting increasingly more sophisticated,' said Louisa Bench, head of human resources. 'So the product that they're looking for is that much more sophisticated.'

The ideal candidate must be someone who is passionate about the job and always enthusiastic when dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds. Interpersonal and communications skills would be important as well as good organisation skills and an innovative spirit.

Aside from a fun working environment, Ms Bench said, from a career perspective, the company's set-up was quite challenging, and more exciting than other sourcing companies because they work across several different retailers in many countries with varying cultures, all of which are part of the Kingfisher group.

'It sort of takes sourcing to the next level,' Ms Bench said. 'It's that much more of a complex environment, it's not a case of necessarily finding the same products ... it's also about learning about the different markets and learning about the different retailers and tailoring our products to their stores and their customers.'

Fluency in English, Cantonese and Putonghua is a must, while French and German would be a bonus.