Job Description

Overview

The Sr. Director, Buying will oversee and lead our Women’s & Kid’s buying team to ensure maximum sales, profits, and productivity metrics through successful assortment-building, inventory management, and gross margin focus, consistent with divisional and company merchandise strategies.

They are change champions in the face of a constantly shifting market landscape; drives innovation; understands trend and has a great eye for what’s new; builds strong vendor relationships and negotiates the best opportunities to maximize results in their business.

They prize diversity and collaborate closely with cross-functional partners in Planning, Allocation, Marketing and Store Optimization, always keeping our target demographic in mind when building compelling assortments and experiences that exceed our customer’s expectations.

Responsibilities

Strategy Development and Execution:

• Build our brand by understanding our overall corporate goals and pillars and interpreting this vision into short, mid, and long-term merchandising strategies, all while considering unique global and local customer needs.

• Innovate and drive best practices to create a world-class merchandising function that supports the Company’s broader goals of growth and high standards of customer service through superior levels of execution on all fronts.

• Lead the merchandise planning process, creating and implementing seasonal plans that deliver sales volume, margin growth, and inventory turnover while incorporating promotional and markdown strategies. Drive these decisions and strategies through to completion to ensure the achievement of financial plans and forecasts.

Vendor Relationship Management:

• Build favorable external relationships and establish/maintain a solid reputation in the industry.

• Partner and negotiate with vendors on all product-related issues, including assortments, buy quantities, deliveries, and price, to maximize the Company’s profits and surpass established financial goals.

Financial Planning:

• Lead monthly forecasting/statement process, including plan building, budget planning, and revisions as needed. Ensure reporting identifies risks and opportunities to sales and margin plans.

• Keep abreast of industry best practices and monitor financial performance against corporate objectives. Address improvement opportunities.

Marketing Integration:

• Partner with the Marketing team to develop program ideas that support key product investments and drive both consumer excitement and merchandise sell-through. Lead the buying team in the identification of in-store opportunities to tell exciting and commercially relevant product stories, while partnering with Marketing/vendor partners to enlist social/digital media support.

Trend Identification:

• With a strong understanding of the competitive landscape, this role leads the buying team to define and develop the product mix. Monitor and interpret market and consumer trends and activities of competition to identify new opportunities. Communicate regularly with our retail stores to keep a pulse on ever-shifting customer preferences.

• Drive a team to follow social media and sports/fashion content and conduct market travel to identify evolving styles/trends/behaviors within our core consumer segments. Initiate product tests to lead the market in emerging opportunities and look to scale early market entry to a large commercial business as warranted.

People Development:

• Build the capabilities of the team by developing individuals that are qualified to meet current and future objectives and can serve as bench strength for future company leadership.

• Provide honest, objective feedback on individual team members’ strengths and weaknesses, and identify training and on-the-job opportunities for growth and professional development. Lead the department’s annual performance review and Executive Development Review processes.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a specialty retail environment (Women’s & Kid’s a plus).

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising, Marketing or equivalency required.

• Career history that combines progressive buying or merchandising roles for branded and/or private label businesses.

• Thorough knowledge of merchandising, trend forecasting, buying & distribution, marketing, inventory control, budgeting, financial planning, and personnel supervision.

• Familiarity and comfort level in a customer-service-oriented culture.

• Demonstrated ability to “raise the bar” in terms of performance and revenue growth within a fast-paced environment.

• Proven skills in influencing and negotiating with business partners, both internally and externally.

• Ability to take ownership of decisions and guide and push back in a diplomatic manner, even when faced with dissenting points of view. Encourage creative tension while remaining positive and composed.

• Comprehensive understanding of the financial, strategic, and technical capabilities of the organization.

• Excellent organizational, communication, and critical thinking skills.

• Must be able to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner.

• Knowledge of Retail Reporting and Purchase Order Systems is preferred.

ABOUT WSS:

WSS is the premier footwear retailer in the U.S. doing business in neighborhood-based stores. Consumers trust WSS for the best brands, greatest values and largest selection of athletic, dress, fashion, and casual footwear for the entire family. Our large store format enables us to showcase thousands of styles from top brands like Nike, Jordan, Vans, Converse, Adidas, Puma, Skechers, etc. In addition, WSS carries high quality private brands augmenting the breadth of selection to deliver amazing value to our customers.

Founded in Southern California in 1984 by entrepreneur Eric Alon, all WSS stores feature a unique retail format that displays every style and size. This allows customers to browse on their terms, in a hassle-free environment, engaging the friendly and knowledgeable sales staff when they choose. The success of this business model has allowed WSS to continue its rapid expansion into new markets. WSS currently operates stores throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. October 2021 WSS was acquired by Foot Locker, Inc. WSS is now proudly one of Foot Locker’s banners under the WSS name.

WSS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.

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