ABOUT YOUR ROLE:
The Buyer is responsible for driving seasonal buying, assortment planning, and inventory management for Timberland Japan.
This role ensures that product assortments are commercially successful, locally relevant, and aligned with global strategy, while delivering strong financial results across sales, margin, and inventory productivity.
The role plays a critical part in Japan GTM execution, working closely with cross-functional teams to bring the brand strategy to life in the marketplace.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE (but are not limited to):
1. Buying & Assortment Planning
- Develop and execute seasonal buying plans (units & value) aligned with global merchandising direction
- Curate assortments tailored to Japan consumer needs and market trends
- Participate in GTM milestones (e.g., line reviews, FSR, seasonal buy) and provide local input
- Ensure strong category performance across key product divisions
2. Sales & Inventory Management
- Monitor and analyze sell-through, inventory levels, and stock turns
- Drive replenishment, markdown, pricing, and stock optimization strategies
- Identify risks and opportunities, taking proactive actions to protect margin and minimize markdown
3. GTM Execution & Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with:
- APAC / Global Merchandising teams
- Retail / DTC teams
- Marketing and Visual Merchandising
- Planning & Allocation
- Ensure seamless execution of seasonal launches and key commercial initiatives
4. Market & Consumer Insights
- Analyze consumer behavior, competitor activities, and market trends in Japan
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations for assortment, pricing, and growth
5. Operational Excellence
- Ensure accuracy and timeliness in:
- Order placement and system updates
- Sales and inventory reporting
- Support forecasting, buy reviews, and seasonal business analysis
WHAT YOU BRING:
Experience
- 3–6+ years of experience in Buying / Merchandising / Retail Planning
- Experience in fashion, footwear, or consumer goods industry preferred
- Strong understanding of Japan retail and consumer market
Skills
- Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability
- Experience managing inventory, margin, and sales performance
- Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
- Detail-oriented with strong execution capability
Language
- Fluent in Japanese (native/business level)
- Business-level English
VF CORE COMPETENCIES
- Drives Results
- Customer Focus
- Collaborates
- Decision Quality
- Business Insight
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