Buyer, Womenswear

SSENSE (pronounced [es-uhns]) is a global technology platform operating at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce. Headquartered in Montreal, it features a mix of established and emerging luxury brands across womenswear, menswear, kidswear, and Everything ElseTM. 

SSENSE has garnered critical acclaim as both an e-commerce engine and a producer of cultural content, generating an average of 100 million monthly page views. Approximately 80% of its audience is between the ages of 18 to 40. It is privately held and has achieved high double digit annual growth and profitability since its inception.

Reporting to the Manager, Womenswear Buying  the Womenswear Buyer is responsible for actioning the department strategy into their defined portfolio. They will own and deliver on all buying functions to maximize the effectiveness of their portfolio and achieve the sales, profits and market share objectives of the Womenswear department. The ideal candidate has an exceptional eye for the latest industry trends  in Womenswear, strong analytical abilities and retail math acumen, established vendor relationships, the ability to develop and source new products and vendors through the precise execution of the department product strategy and thrive in a data driven fast paced environment. 

Responsibilities

OPERATIONS - 50% 

• Achieve pre-set target budgets, margins and sell-through goals 
• Negotiate and lead contract terms and conditions with suppliers in order to onboard desirable new brands and secure preferential trade terms  
• Lead the day to day operations, in-season business (RTVs/swaps, etc), and negotiations of the assigned portfolio resulting in effective execution of the business deliverables, meeting growth targets, and optimizing end of season performance
• Perform competitive research and price benchmarking to ensure that the assortment is optimized and competitive
• Present monthly business reviews to the Manager, Womenswear Buying, including key performance metrics and pacing, action plans, newly secured brands, and creative initiatives to deliver to targets and inform successful future buys
• Own and deliver small to mid scale creative projects
• Support the onboarding of new members providing training on internal tools and processes 
• Act as a dotted line manager to an assigned coordinator or assistant buyer, overseeing their day to day activities and task prioritization
• Strengthen cross departmental relationships to ensure optimal presentation and performance of portfolio and managed projects
• Liaise with the Studio and Marketing teams to ensure product is accurately represented from a vendor and SSENSE point of view across all channels
• Recommend key product and brand knowledge to the Personal Shopping and Marketing teams that result in driving overall sales for the Womenswear category
• Align with the planning team and work with the Manager, Womenswear Buying to execute on the seasonal budget targets and identify opportune areas for growth
• Work cross-departmentally with logistics and accounts to ensure a smooth flow of merchandise into the business; ensuring competitive e-comm uploads and optimising full price selling.

VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS 50% 

• Drive the execution of the seasonal purchasing budget and own the selection and strategy for the brand portfolio 
• Select products to create a consistent buying message that aligns to the SSENSE brand and department strategy
• Act as collaborative partner to all vendors, providing regular business updates to ensure mutual success 
• Actively provide the marketing and creative teams with product content in order to create marketing campaigns that garner strong results based on the campaign key performance indicators
• Act as a brand ambassador building strong long-term relationships with suppliers to  attain early delivery times, exclusive launches or product offering, and preferential end of season terms (swaps, RTVs, margin agreements)  in order to achieve portfolio sales and profitability goals 
• Stay abreast of industry trends and continually source, suggest and onboard emerging brands to deliver to the budget targets and drive the SSENSE point of view

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• A minimum of 3-5 years experience in a buying role, preferably in a multi-brand environment
• Must be able to leverage an existing network within the industry
• Highly analytical with a strong understanding of retail math
• Excellent skills using Microsoft Excel
• Strong training skills and knowledge sharing capabilities 
• Good written and verbal communication skills in both French and English 

Skills

• Strong understanding of SSENSE perspective 
• Confidence and credibility with solid track record in networking and negotiating
• Entrepreneurial spirit and comfortable with hyper growth in a fast paced environment 
• Resourceful and solution-oriented 
• Demonstrated ability as a high internal collaborator