About this Buyer - Merchandising Manager role at Complex
What You'll Do
Develop seasonal assortments across footwear, apparel and accessories that align with merchandising, editorial and financial strategies while meeting or exceeding sales and profit goals.
Own product and category strategies across all channels, expanding the assortment to increase relevance among Complex consumers.
Maintain a strong understanding of fashion, sneakers, music, sports and cultural trends; ensure key trends are represented and test emerging concepts for commercial viability.
Manage open-to-buy budgets, and oversee sales forecasts, inventory, returns, margins, pricing and category profitability.
Analyze weekly and monthly performance—including sales velocity, sell-through, TY/LY, inventory turn, product attributes, online availability and markdowns—to identify opportunities and mitigate risk.
Manage the business in-season through reorders, cancellations, markdowns, pricing adjustments, inventory shifts and “chase” opportunities; conduct post-season analysis to improve future assortments.
Manage inventory levels, product availability, delivery schedules and the flow of goods into internal systems across all channels.
Ensure accurate and timely product setup, SKU creation, purchase-order entry, pricing, costing, product information and delivery tracking.
Act as a key liaison internally across Licensing, Merchandising, E-commerce, Marketing, Editorial, Operations and Finance to align priorities and execution.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with brands and vendors, including supporting negotiations, exclusive products, licensing initiatives and design collaborations.
Partner with Editorial, Marketing and E-commerce teams to develop compelling product stories for the website, email, social media, content and pop-up activations.
Who You Are
5+ years of buying or merchandising experience, preferably in footwear, streetwear, apparel or multi-brand e-commerce.
Strong understanding of retail math, including OTB, margin, markup, sell-through, inventory turn and markdowns.
Knowledge of the fashion calendar, market appointments, delivery windows and sneaker/streetwear launch and drop strategies.
Deep understanding of footwear, streetwear, fashion trends and youth culture, with strong product instincts.
Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills with experience managing budgets, reports, purchase orders and product data.
Strong vendor management, negotiation, communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Willingness and ability to travel for market appointments, trade shows, and brand meetings both domestic and internationally up to 3 times a quarter.
