Head of Buying - North America
About The Position
The Head of Buying – North America defines and executes the regional buying strategy to drive sales growth, profitability, and inventory efficiency across the North American retail network. Working closely with HQ Buying and Merchandising teams, the role translates global collections into commercially relevant assortments tailored to local consumer preferences while maintaining the brand’s identity and positioning. The position oversees buying across all product categories, optimizing product selection, buying investments, and inventory performance. It also provides market insights and commercial feedback to influence global merchandising decisions. The role covers the United States and Canada, is based in New York, and requires 25–30% domestic and international travel.
Requirements
- Minimum 5–7 years of experience in buying or merchandising within the premium, contemporary, or luxury fashion industry.
- Strong ready-to-wear expertise, particularly in Men's RTW.
- Solid understanding of the North American fashion market and consumer behavior.
- Experience working with international brands and centralized global merchandising teams.
- Strong financial and analytical skills, including OTB management, assortment planning, and inventory performance.
Responsibilities
- Define and execute seasonal buying strategy in alignment with global brand direction and regional financial objectives.
- Lead seasonal buying campaigns, optimizing product selection, category mix, and depth of investment.
- Tailor assortments by store, market, and customer profile to maximize commercial performance.
- Balance seasonal fashion products, key commercial styles, and carryover items.
- Identify product opportunities, assortment gaps, and potential regional exclusives.
- Define product assortments for new store openings and key commercial initiatives.
- Manage and challenge the regional Open-to-Buy (OTB), ensuring investments are supported by sales forecasts, historical performance, and inventory productivity.
- Optimize buying investments to maximize sales, gross margin, and full-price sell-through.
- Monitor sales, sell-through, markdowns, stock turn, and inventory aging.
- Partner with Finance and HQ Buying teams on seasonal budgets, forecasts, and buying adjustments.
- Identify opportunities to improve inventory efficiency and minimize overstock.
- Conduct regular product performance reviews by category, SKU, and store.
- Identify best sellers, underperforming products, and emerging commercial opportunities.
- Recommend replenishment, stock transfers, allocation adjustments, and markdown strategies.
- Collaborate with Planning, Allocation, and Retail teams to optimize inventory distribution and product availability.
- Provide product knowledge and training support to retail teams.
- Develop a strong understanding of North American consumer preferences, market trends, and competitive positioning.
- Visit stores and engage with retail teams to gather customer and product feedback.
- Act as the key regional contact for HQ Buying and Merchandising teams.
- Represent North America during seasonal buying sessions and merchandising reviews.
- Communicate regional product needs and commercial insights to influence future collection development.
- Partner with Retail leadership to align buying decisions with store performance and business priorities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
