Summary/Objective:The Buyer is responsible for developing, executing, and communicating an Assortment Architecture that speak to the Vici customer through relevant trends and exceptional price value. This role is integral to driving sales and profit plan and requires a highly collaborative individual who thrives on agility in a cross-functional role. The buyer is responsible for the creative vision of the company coming to life through impeccable product execution as well as concepting key drops for their categories in collaboration with the Director of Merchandising and Chief Merchandising Officer.
What Will You Do:Essentials:- The Buyer will be responsible for a commercially sound product strategy and assortment plan that will be representative of the VICI Customer tastes and needs:
- Have expert knowledge on the VICI customer and competitor activities; maintains a strong pulse on current trends and the fashion zeitgeist.
- Partners directly with vendor on product development to support a strategic exclusive assortment in conjunction with buying off vendor in-line - this position is product development intensive and requires a keen eye for detail, strong communication skills, agility in managing multiple parallel workstreams and ensuring flawless concept to market execution.
- Develop and execute a merchandise assortment plan that supports the financial, merchandising, and marketing objectives for seasonal product concepts, key items, promotional strategies and assortments mix.
- Set product and category level pricing recommendations and strategies to align with financial plans.
- Deliver to OTB goals- sales, inventory, cost, sku and margin objectives.
- Proactive about making vendor appointments to fill gaps in the assortment.
- Drives business recaps, performance and forward-looking action plans:
- Recommend styles for markdowns.
- Analyze and manage in season performance keeping a pulse on customers' needs and emerging trends and read and react to weekly business; utilizes learnings to inform in-season and future season actions, strategies, assortments and chase including but not limited to, reorders, assortment cancels, edits, discounts, swaps and adds which involve vendor negotiations.
- Hindsight performance post-season to identify hits and misses and build future season strategy.
- Partner with Site Merchandising to determine featured categories and products to support sales and inventory initiatives - always scanning for improvements and collaborating on ways to improve customer experience.
- Positively influence cross-functional teams to hit category goals by effectively communicating important ideas at weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings.
- Build and maintain strong vendor relationships:
- Actively source and propose new vendors (if applicable) to executive leadership in order to fill assortment voids and keep product capability innovative and on trend.
- Drive Vendor Negotiations across product quality, purchase quantity, landed cost, and delivery (and RTV's) while ensuring vendor relationships stays positive.
- Proactive about making vendor appointments to fill gaps in the assortment and ensuring Open To Buy targets are filled via aligned on pre-season strategy.
- Educates vendor on VICI processes in order to drive efficient appointments and order writing process.
- Lead and develop junior buying team members, effectively communicating priorities and ensuring workflow management delivers to deadlines.
- Maintain operational excellence by ensuring strong focus on delivering on-time assortment by completing necessary workstreams and being proactive about troubleshooting as needed.
- Travel as needed.
What We're Looking For:- Deep experience in women's apparel with a proven track record of delivering to company KPIs, specifically in several of the following categories: intimate apparel, sleep and lounge, activewear, athleisure, swim and cover ups.
- Passion for and understanding of the Vici customer and how to best serve her.
- High taste level, with broad market and fashion knowledge, ability to translate trends into commercially viable revenue streams.
- Excellent analytical, time management and organization skills; meticulous attention to detail
- Demonstrates a high degree of personal and professional integrity
- Thrives working in a fast-paced agile environment with shifting priorities and is able to manage details with vendor base related to product development and ensuring categories are appropriately launched via agreed upon target dates
- Ability to work collaboratively across different groups to advance company objectives.
- Skilled at communicating and negotiating clearly both verbally and in writing
- Excellent problem-solving skills; willingness to think out-of-the-box to resolve issues
- Strong analytical skills; demonstrated proficiency working with large data sets
- Comfortable working with large data sets as well as within systems like Net Suite and Shopify.
- Ability to read, write, speak and understand the English language fluently, and communicate verbally and in writing at a professional level
- Demonstrated knowledge and proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel), Mac and Google products)
- Knowledge of standard applications (Slack, Office365, Chrome, etc.)
Work Environment:• Works in an indoor office/home office environment, temperature controlled
• Sit for long periods, standing and walking intermittently
• Use office equipment such as computer, mouse, keyboard, printer
• Occasionally lift up to 20 pounds and may have to manage hung samples
Education and Experience:- Bachelor's Degree in related field (or equivalent work experience)
- 4-6+ years prior experience in retail/ecommerce merchandising and buying
- Previous management of an assistant or associate
Expected Hours of Work:- This is a full-time position - Hybrid with 3 days in office per week (Tuesday through Thursday) requirement
$100,000 - $115,000 a year
