Buyer I - Climb

About the role

The is a hands-on role focused on driving seasonal performance within a focused brand portfolio. You will build seasonal assortments using historical sales data and vendor input to ensure alignment with market demand. In this position, you will own existing vendor relationships and act as a primary point of contact for key partners. You will execute negotiations on seasonal terms, discounts, and promotional windows under the guidance of senior team members. The role requires you to create detailed SKU and PO worksheets and construct purchase orders with precision on quantity, dollar value, and style allocation. You will ensure accurate, on-time submission of POs to vendors to maintain supply chain integrity. Collaboration with Marketing is central, as you will work closely on promotional calendars and synchronize plans with brand objectives. You will monitor SKU and brand performance on an ongoing basis to identify trends and inform decisions. The position demands quick reactions to promotional performance and the execution of visual merchandising direction from senior leadership. You will manage re-orders and order reductions, including ASAPs and edits, in partnership with Planning.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Build seasonal assortments using historical sales data and vendor input to optimize category mix.
• Maintain a productive core assortment within an established category framework for a focused brand portfolio within a pre-set OTB.
• Own existing vendor relationships and serve as a trusted liaison for key accounts.
• Execute negotiations on seasonal terms, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members.
• Create SKU/PO worksheets and build purchase orders including Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation and Size/Color Breakout under tight deadlines.
• Ensure accurate, on-time submission of POs to vendors to support fulfillment and inventory planning.
• Collaborate with Marketing on promotional calendars to align buying strategies with campaign timelines.
• React quickly to promotional performance and execute visual merchandising direction from the senior team in a timely manner.
• Monitor SKU and brand performance using data tools to track sell-through, stock levels, and margin.
• Manage re-orders (ASAPs) and order reductions (Edits) while balancing service levels and inventory health.
• Support exit strategies for slow-moving items in partnership with Planning to minimize excess and maximize cash flow.
• Use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar to summarize performance data, draft content, streamline PO workflows, and accelerate decisions.
• Validate AI-generated outputs and apply them with sound judgment to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• Provide task-level direction and development support to Associate and Assistant Buyers on day-to-day buying processes.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed for vendor meetings, market visits, or internal reviews.

Requirements

• You need typically 1-4 years of buying or equivalent merchandising experience in a retail environment.
• You need a firm understanding of retail math and buying fundamentals including margin, markup, and inventory turns.
• You need strong analytical skills with developing negotiation capabilities to assess opportunities and close deals.
• You need excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail to manage multiple priorities accurately.
• Outstanding time management skills; ability to prioritize competing tasks and initiatives in a fast-paced setting.
• You need Excel proficiency required for building reports, analyzing data, and creating PO templates.
• You need to be comfortable using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar; crafting effective prompts and validating all outputs.
• You need excellent written and verbal communication skills for collaboration with vendors and internal stakeholders.
• You need willingness and ability to travel as needed to support business requirements and team objectives.

Nice to have

Only items specified in the SOURCE are included; no additional preferences are added.

Practical notes

Note: Hybrid: 3x/week in-office.

Note: Build seasonal assortments using historical sales data and vendor input.

Note: Maintain a productive core assortment within an established category framework for a focused brand portfolio within a pre-set OTB.

Note: For , Own existing vendor relationships.

Note: Execute negotiations on seasonal terms, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members.

Note: Create SKU/PO worksheets and build POs including Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation and Size/Color Breakout under tight deadlines.

Note: For , Ensure accurate, on-time submission of POs to vendors.

Note: For , Collaborate with Marketing on promotional calendars.

Note: React quickly to promotional performance and execute visual merchandising direction from the senior team.

Note: For , Monitor SKU and brand performance.

Note: For , Manage re-orders (ASAPs) and order reductions (Edits).

Note: Support exit strategies for slow movers in partnership with Planning to optimize inventory and reduce waste.

Note: Use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar to summarize performance data, draft content, streamline PO workflows, and accelerate decisions.

Note: Validate AI-generated outputs and apply them with judgment to ensure quality and alignment with business goals.

Note: Provide task-level direction and development support to Associate and Assistant Buyers on day-to-day buying processes.

Note: Willingness and ability to travel as needed for meetings, vendor visits, and internal coordination.