Buyer - Soccer

Fanatics Commerce•Jacksonville, FL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer owns end-to-end category management for a defined product category, curating a compelling assortment and driving performance through product strategy and vendor partnerships. Reporting to the Divisional Merchandise Manager, the Buyer works closely with Planning, Product Development, Site Experience, Marketing, and Supply Chain to execute category strategy aligned with brand goals and financial targets. The role delivers fan and business impact through leadership and execution, using data, automation, and AI-enabled insights. The Buyer leads assortment and vendor strategies, negotiates costs, terms, and exclusives, and manages the category’s sales, margin, inventory, and turn across the full product lifecycle. The position also supports team capability through sharing best practices and coaching Assistant Buyers and Coordinators. It is hybrid, with the primary work location at the Company’s Jacksonville, Florida office and in-office presence currently required three days per week.

Requirements

At least 4 years of experience in Merchandising or Buying, with demonstrated success in assortment management and vendor partnerships.
Strong analytical skills and ability to make data-informed decisions involving pricing, promotion, and inventory management.
Ability to manage category financial metrics, including sales, margin, inventory turn, and OTB.
Passion for product, fans, and delivering innovation in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Team-oriented, accountable, and growth-minded, with a record of cross-functional collaboration.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present category insights and recommendations clearly.
High standards of integrity, professionalism, and ethical conduct.

Nice To Haves

Experience in vertical/private brand and market vendor businesses.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred, but not required.

Responsibilities

Contribute insights, tools, and best practices across the Merchandising team and support onboarding and coaching of Assistant Buyers and Coordinators.
Negotiate costs, terms, and exclusives in partnership with the DMM and General Merchandise Manager.
Build relationships with vendor and brand partners to drive growth, product exclusivity, and innovation.
Track fan trends, social signals, product sentiment, and competitive activity to inform category decisions.
Build a balanced, trend-right assortment based on data, fan insights, and product performance.
Act as a category expert across vertical and market brands, including brand equity, cost architecture, and vendor capability.
Partner with Product Development to shape vertical brand assortment and optimize category positioning.
Curate the vendor matrix to improve productivity, reduce redundancy, and elevate product storytelling.
Collaborate with vendors and brand partners on seasonal strategies, assortment reviews, and go-to-market planning.
Manage in-season sales, margin, inventory, and turn, including the Good/Better/Best framework and product lifecycle from initial buy through markdown and exit.
Use insights to guide pricing, promotions, and markdown decisions to maximize category profitability.
Partner with Planning to align OTB, receipt flow, and in-season reforecasting with financial targets.
Track and report category performance and recommend actions to accelerate profitable growth.
Apply AI, technology, data, and digital tools to improve efficiency, decision-making, and performance; adapt to new technologies and contribute to continuous improvement.