London, UK
FF&E procurement coordinator
at Run For The Hills
Run For The Hills is hiring an FF&E procurement coordinator to join its team in London.
Run For The Hills (RFTH) is a super creative, award-winning branding and interior design studio, fashioning exciting and unique commercial, hospitality (F&B) and residential design projects in the UK and overseas.
We are on the hunt for a dynamic, amazingly well-organised and experienced FF&E/procurement coordinator to join our interiors and branding team.
You will be the ‘go-to’ person for FF&E research, logistics and specification and one of the key faces at Run For The Hills during the FF&E stage of projects, keeping the day-to-day FF&E activities of the studio running smoothly, driving the operational, FF&E project finance and FF&E admin side of the studio. You will work alongside the design team, creative directors and finance team.
Your track record
You need to have fantastic FF&E sourcing, specifying and co-ordination skills in interior design firms. Also bags of experience, ideally within a creative or design company environment, in a client and director-facing role. On a personality front, we love friendly, positive, glass half-full, can-do people.
If this sounds like you, apply directly via the apply for job button below or email your portfolio to us with the title ‘Studio Manager’.
Key responsibilities:
- leading the coordination, final specification and procurement of FF&E (furnishings and finishes) for residential and commercial, hospitality projects in the UK and overseas
- liaison with interiors team to understand project procurement needs
- work closely with the creative and technical interior designers, creating finishes and FF&E packages, schedules, specifications and budgets for all studio projects
- negotiating with trade suppliers to secure best value for clients
- sourcing new suppliers/building relationships with existing suppliers
- staying ahead of compliance/FR treatments and H&S requirements
- compiling product/pricing proposals for the design team and clients
- finalising Pro Forma invoice details/trade discounts for orders
- leading the organisation of all shipping/delivery logistics to site
- organising complex delivery/import logistics, including creating and checking any customs/import/export duties and procedures
- creating and processing invoices, sales orders, client purchasing funds
- liaison with the company book-keepers and accountants over procurement tracking
- monitoring progress of all FF&E/orders (where RFTH is procuring), or creating/handing over purchasing schedules to client team
- dealing with storage/white glove/install companies and suppliers to ensure all FF&E is delivered and correct, in time for the site install (checking in on storage co systems and inventory)
- getting quotes for FF&E storage for clients and negotiating best price and shortest duration for the required storage
- planning and coordination of the FF&E installation and styling process on site, booking in interior design trades (curtain fitters, art hangers, landscapers, stylists, cleaners etc)
- leading compilation of snagging for sharing with the design team first, then project managers/architect/client
- providing regular updates to the interior design team, raising up any delays, risks or warning signs at the first sign of any issue
- estimating and managing FF&E project budgets, value-engineering budgets after the first estimate and then agreeing final budgets and working strictly within agreed terms
- saving and recording all FF&E guarantees for passing to the client
- ensuring correct certification is included and passed through, including any CE or FR specification documents
- reconciling all project spend with the designers, finance and clients
- considering ways to recycle/re-work FF&E and eco-conscious practices
Project support:
- setting up FF&E stage agreements and project paperwork
- planning resource for FF&E procurement with help from the design team
- planning client FF&E deadlines and internal FF&E deadlines
- reminders and admin preparation for delivering FF&E deadlines
- tick reporting and analysis of FF&E procurement (full training given)
- creating and printing design presentations for review with clients
- client meet set up and studio prep for FF&E/procurement meetings
Finance support:
- liaison with the book-keepers and accountants
- organising FF&E install expenses, samples float and any petty cash etc
Personal skills required:
- highly motivated, proactive and driven
- positive, professional and entrepreneurial
- excellent organisational, time management and prioritisation skills
- staying ahead of tasks and to-do lists
- willingness to go the extra mile to meet deadlines
- genuine attention to detail; a born ‘checker’
- excellent director, client, suppliers and team communication
- flexible with a willingness to learn and tackle a variety of duties
- strong team player and work ethic
- calm, reliable and trustworthy
- thrives on being busy
- fluent in written and spoken English
- interested in design and the creative industries
Skills and experience required:
- background in a similar action-oriented role within the design industry
- three-plus years’ experience within a similar FF&E/specification/procurement role; this could be your second or third job as an FF&E interior designer, where you have run procurement and site install on many studio projects and you’d like to specialise in FF&E logistics
- hands-on, excellent knowledge and experience of procurement and logistics process
- proven experience working with UK and international projects
- experience using procurement software
- great Microsoft Word, excellent Excel
- knowledge of Adobe InDesign beneficial or willingness to learn
- proven ability to juggle multiple projects at once
Benefits:
- competitive salary dependant on experience
- five weeks holiday plus bank holidays
- flexible working hours: 8:30 to 17:30 or 9:00 to 18:00
- stakeholder pension scheme
- hybrid in-studio and work from home mix
- the role could be part-time, full-time or flexi-time
- a part-time basis would be a minimum of 20 to 24 hours per week, with the option of distributing the hours over three to five days a week
- a full-time basis would be hybrid mix (four in-studio days and one remote day)
- regular team socials, lunches, dinners and drinks
- studio culture with space for career development/role flexibility
Our studio
We work from a stylish studio in Queen’s Park in London (NW6) on Lonsdale Road, with lots of buzzy restaurants, cafes, other architect and designer ateliers and workshops. We’re a happy, friendly place to work and you’d be joining a team of highly creative interior designers, graphic designers working across F&B, hotel and F&B projects. A great bunch of people who love what they do.
We have a friendly, family-oriented culture with flexible working and regular opportunities for training and staff development. We are respectful, supportive and welcoming to our team and the people that we work with on our projects. Because of this, we have built a lovely network of clients, collaborators and friends of the studio who share our ethos and values.
How to apply
If you think this role is a great match for you, and have the relevant experience of at least three to four years in a similar role, please submit your CV along with a short letter outlining your suitability. The salary will be based on experience and we’d be grateful if you could submit your expectation with your application.