Buyer, Denim & Casual
About The Position
The Buyer is responsible for merchandising strategy and product direction for assigned categories or departments, with the goal of meeting or exceeding sales, margin, and financial objectives. The role curates distinctive, high-quality merchandise that reflects the company’s standards and customer preferences, using competitive intelligence, customer insights, and business analysis to build customer-centered assortments. The Buyer leads merchandise purchasing and negotiations, partners with Merchandise Planners to develop and execute strategies, and manages and mentors Associate Buyers, Assistant Buyers, and Coordinators. The role includes assortment planning, market preparation and attendance, coordination with brand partners, in-season performance management, and leadership development. Travel, including international travel, may be required as needed.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent retail experience.
- At least 5 years of experience in a buying office, with a strong understanding of buying operations and retail strategy.
- Strong financial, analytical, and strategic planning skills and proven business acumen.
- Expertise in retail math, including markup, margin planning, OTB, WOS, T/O, GMROI, and assortment planning.
- Demonstrated leadership and team-management capabilities in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong internal and vendor relationships.
- Strong customer focus and a results-driven mindset, with the ability to manage ambiguity.
- Strong organization, planning, prioritization, and conflict-management skills.
- Strategic thinking and agility to adapt to changing business needs.
- Willingness to travel, including internationally, as needed.
Responsibilities
- Provide input on category and pre-season planning strategy with Planners, using past performance, trends, and brand insights, and execute the strategy throughout the season.
- Build customer-centered assortment frameworks and allocation strategies using customer and trend insights from Stores, Digital, CACI, and Fashion; provide allocation guidelines.
- Set product display and flow strategies, including launch dates, full-price selling periods, cross-sell opportunities, and collection considerations, in alignment with Planning and Marketing guardrails.
- Lead market preparation and attend market to select products in line with Planning guardrails and category direction from BP and Buying Leads.
- Coordinate buys with brand partners and collaborate on exclusive merchandise.
- Manage day-to-day communication about in-season brand performance, trending styles, chase opportunities, and escalated order-management issues.
- Review daily performance reports and work with Planner counterparts to assess product, category, and brand trends.
- Use in-season levers to optimize performance and prepare for monthly OTB meetings, providing bottoms-up context and escalating opportunities and risks to Leads.
- Own the business and negotiate with Brand Partners throughout the season on opportunities such as style swaps, capsules, RTVs, matrix expansion, and markdowns.
- Mentor and provide hands-on training to Associate Buyers, Assistant Buyers, and Coordinators.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Basic life insurance
- Supplemental life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Additional voluntary benefits, including critical illness, hospital, and accident insurance
- Employee discount
- Career advancement opportunities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
