Senior Merchant - Sweaters & Tops

Under the general direction of the Buying Manager or DMM, the Senior Merchant will be responsible for developing, executing, and communicating a financially sound product strategy for procuring merchandise assortments that will be representative of the brand. The Sr. Merchant will work to create the appropriate merchandise mix based on emerging market trends, along with meeting the assortment strategies established by management.

Responsibilities

Create and execute a merchandise assortment plan that supports the financial, merchandising, and marketing objectives set by senior management

Participate in weekly open-to-buy meetings with Planning & Allocation and provide technical feedback and analysis to ensure the department achieves financial targets for turn and sell-through goals

Create a financially sound product strategy for creating an assortment that targets a wide consumer range

Negotiate product quality, purchase quantity, landed cost, and delivery with vendors

Procure samples from vendors and in-house designers for style out reviews

Partner with the Planning department to create Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) plans that adhere to the company’s financial strategies in order to have an efficient assortment plan

Determine and maintain the Initial Mark-up per category ensuring that the assortments comply with mark-up and retail cost matrix goals established by Management

Coordinate with cross-functional partners such as Production, Design, and Trend &Print in order to make sure designs are adoptable, costs are measured, and concepts are clearly defined

Train, develop, and mentor the Assistant Merchant, Associate Merchant and /or Merchant to ensure that financial and product goals are met.

Qualifications

Must have a BFA or related degree

Must have at least 5-7 years of buying experience in a specialty retail environment

Proven track record of success as an Apparel or Non Apparel buyer

Must possess the ability to understand and act upon financial retail indicators such as sales, gross margin, inventory productivity, sell-through and turn

Must be able to effectively communicate with Management and subordinates

Must exhibit strong leadership and management capabilities

Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint required

ADDITIONAL DATA

The salary range for this position is $88,393 - $106,707 annually. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to position offered and work experience.In addition to your salary, Forever 21, and its affiliated brands, offers a benefits package, including 401(k) plan, overtime pay, flexible work schedule and a generous employee discount program (all benefits are based on eligibility). Additional information regarding the benefits for this position can be found in the Benefits Guide that is available in our Human Resources Department.

Full Time