Merchandiser/Buyer - Womenswear

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build intentional seasonal womenswear assortments across categories, defining category depth, breadth, style mix, product roles, tiers, occasions and customer needs. 

• Become the foremost commercial expert on assigned categories by analyzing sales, sell-through, returns, customer feedback, market trends and competitive activity to identify opportunities and risks. 

• Partner with Planning on seasonal category investment strategies and benchmarks; translate those strategies into assortment recommendations and clear buying plans. 

• Own the seasonal buying process for assigned categories, recommending and executing style, depth and quantity buys within the approved financial framework and adjusting buys as business performance and customer demand evolve. 

• Develop and apply fabric platform strategy by understanding existing fabric programs, maximizing commercial opportunities within them, and recommending expansion or innovation where it strengthens the assortment. 

• Own customer-facing pricing architecture, including estimated retail pricing and Good/Better/Best pricing ladders, while benchmarking the market and aligning pricing to customer expectations and positioning. 

• Maintain a strong understanding of vendor capabilities, sourcing realities and manufacturing constraints so that commercial recommendations are ambitious, achievable and appropriately risk-managed; partner with Sourcing rather than owning costing or vendor negotiations. 

• Provide complete commercial direction before development begins through comprehensive product briefs that define the intent, positioning, assortment role and customer opportunity for every style. 

• Partner closely with Design, Technical Development, Sourcing, Product Development, Production, Marketing, Creative and E-commerce, providing clear commercial direction while respecting each function’s ownership and expertise. 

• Be the keeper of product truth by maintaining complete, accurate and execution-ready assortment plans, seasonal line plans, product briefs, design handoffs, category recaps, pricing architecture and product documentation. 

• Protect the commercial integrity of the assortment from planning through production by maintaining accurate product information, validating that decisions remain aligned with the original intent, and acting as a central source of truth for product-related decisions. 

• Establish a disciplined weekly product insight practice by reviewing sales, returns, newness performance, core business health, product evolution and customer voice, and turning those inputs into clear recommendations for Design, Planning, Production and leadership. 

Experience, Education and Designations:

• 5+ years’ experience with proven success in Buying, Merchandising and/or Planning, preferably in womenswear or apparel. 

• Strong understanding of assortment strategy, category management, seasonal buying and the Product Development lifecycle from concept and sampling through commercialization. 

• Strong knowledge of purchasing principles, retail math, pricing architecture and financial decision-making; experience working with OTB, inventory and seasonal investment frameworks is an asset. 

• Demonstrated ability to use sales, sell-through, returns, customer feedback, market and competitive data to make clear commercial recommendations. 

• Strong understanding of product positioning, fabrications, fit, style and the customer needs that shape an assortment. 

• Strong presentation and storytelling skills, with the ability to inspire confidence, excite cross-functional teams and influence leadership around assortment and buying direction. 

• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally, influence without direct authority and drive decisions through to execution.

• Comfortable with technology; strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint 
• Adobe Suite is considered a major asset.

Knowledge, Skills and Attributes:

• Strong commercial judgment and analytical thinking. 

• Excellent communication, presentation and organization skills. 

• Adaptable, positive and comfortable with ambiguity, change and evolving priorities. 

• Keen interest in womenswear, textile product development and the customer. 

• Strong time management skills to meet tight deadlines. 

• Proven ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced environment. 

• A self-starter who takes ownership of their work and follows through. 

• Naturally curious, commercially minded and proactive in identifying opportunities and risks. 

• Consistently exhibit American Tall’s Values - innovation, respect, passion and commitment.