Buyer, Footwear
We’re seeking a strategic and trend-aware Buyer to lead the assortment and business performance for men’s footwear. This role owns category planning from market analysis and product selection through vendor management, pricing strategy, and inventory optimization. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial instincts with analytical decision-making and brings a sharp understanding of customer preferences, margin goals, and emerging trends.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and execute seasonal and annual buying strategies for the men’s footwear business.
- Curate product assortments that reflect customer demand, trend direction, and financial objectives.
- Partner with suppliers to negotiate cost, terms, production timelines, and overall value.
- Manage open-to-buy and category budgets to support sales, margin, and inventory targets.
- Monitor product performance and react to sales trends with timely assortment and allocation decisions.
- Develop demand forecasts and inventory plans that reduce excess stock while protecting in-stock rates.
- Evaluate market activity, competitive landscape, and consumer insights to inform category decisions.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with planning, marketing, finance, and supply chain partners to support execution.
- Guide and support junior team members, offering coaching and day-to-day direction as needed.
Qualifications
- 3–5 years of buying or merchandising experience in retail, preferably within footwear, accessories or closely related categories.
- Strong eye for product, trend relevance, and assortment building.
- Proven ability to negotiate effectively and manage vendor partnerships.
- Solid business acumen with experience working against sales, margin, and inventory goals.
- Comfortable using data, reporting, and market insights to make product and financial decisions.
- Skilled at balancing customer needs with profitability and operational realities.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated leadership potential, sound judgment, and a high level of professionalism.
What Success Looks Like
- Assortments that are relevant, productive, and aligned with the target customer.
- Healthy inventory flow and improved responsiveness to sales performance.
- Strong vendor relationships that support quality, speed, and margin improvement.
- Consistent contribution to category growth through smart planning and execution.
