job description

Saks OFF 5TH is the premier luxury off-price destination. In its more than 100 stores in the U.S. and Canada, and online, at SaksOFF5TH.com, the company provides the best names in fashion at an incredible value through its merchandise authority, unparalleled brand access and seamless connection between ecommerce and stores.

What This Position Is All About:

Saks OFF 5TH is the premier online luxury off-price destination. Through its website and app, Saks OFF 5TH provides a compelling assortment of brands to fashion-seeking customers at the best prices. The company is reimagining traditional off-price with a digitally-native model focused on customer experience.

What This Position Is All About:
The Buyer, Soft Acc/Sun is responsible for developing and executing merchandise strategies to deliver sales, turn targets and gross margin goals with a focus on our customer through merchandise assortments, marketing and pricing strategies. This position has responsibility over stores and digital, with a focus on ensuring merchandise is purchased to maximize results while enhancing the overall department and company strategy. Relationship building is key with internal and external partners. The Buyer will use their negotiation and communication skills to build strong vendor relationships. The position will manage direct reports to build world class teams, with a focus on development and career growth.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $100,000 and $110,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if a candidate receives an offer of employment.

Who Are You:
Action-oriented: Not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning. Seizes opportunities more than others. Armed with enough information to make good business decisions quickly.
Embracing Ambiguity: Shifts gears comfortably. Can decide and act without having the total picture. Comfortable handling risk and uncertainty.
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly. Can anticipate future consequences and outcomes accurately
Decision Making: Makes decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure
Perseverance: Able to push through to closure, even with business challenges or setbacks. Motivates team to maintain focus.
Interpersonal Savvy: Builds constructive and effective relationships internally and externally. Maintains key vendor relationships and continually develops new resources.
Learning on the fly: Able to learn quickly and be open to change. Able to grasp the underlying issue and path to resolution, especially in problem solving. Able to develop own resources.
Time management/priority: Uses time effectively and efficiently. Able to shift priorities as needed and manage multiple competing priorities at the same time. Can attend to a broad scope of activities.
Career ambition/Self development: Strong knowledge of self. Able to articulate and utilize strengths, while creating a plan to develop areas of opportunity. Able to size up situations and flex personal style as needed.
Taste level: Knows how to buy for the customer. Maintains view of overall assortment and is able to quickly size opportunities
Effective Leadership: Able to provide quick and clear direction to team with defined priorities. Empowers direct reports. Able to lead teams through ambiguity and change.

You Also Have:

• BFA or BA in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or related field
• Must have 3-5 years of experience in a buying capacity, overseeing both the creative and financial aspects of merchandising
• Strong analytical skill set
• Strong ability to influence
• Entrepreneurial mindset and fast learner

As The Buyer, Tailored, Dress Shirt/Neckwear, you will:

Business Acumen

• Develops a strategic vision for the business/has broad view of how business works. Uses data to make prudent and effective business decisions. Knowledgeable in key policies, processes, trends, practices. Anticipates business changes and responds quickly and judiciously.
• Execute vendor matrix, develops strong vendor relationships, monitors industry trends, evaluates competition, and attends major markets.
• Partners with Planning on the OTB process forecasting sales, turn, markdowns, profit and inventory to plan. Negotiates and partners with vendors to achieve margin targets through up-front pricing.
• Executes the merchandise strategy, focusing on in-season management to ensure optimal productivity. Achieve business goals through strong partnership with the Assortment Planner.
• Knows how and where to push the business. Comfortable with in-season mentality and strategies. Understands and acts upon smart calculated risks.
• Able to synthesize data from all aspects of the business and multiple data points to quickly size risks and opportunities.
• Ability to work through ambiguity, while maintaining the agility and speed necessary to react to an off-price buying environment.
• Makes all business decisions with the customer experience in mind, becoming a customer champion in all aspects of the buying process.

Strong Negotiator

• Must be assertive as well as diplomatic. Knows the competition and uses market knowledge to negotiate from a position of strength. Anticipates the needs of the business and goes to market with a plan of action.
• Knows how to drive opportunities and is a creative deal-maker.
• Create negotiation strategies that include clear and concise communications; tenacity and resilience to overcome objections and complete buys that provide value to our customers.

Planning Knowledge & Building Partnerships

• Works closely and effectively with internal and external partners
• Understands store landscapes and Store clustering strategies, partners with store Regional Vice Presidents to identify growth opportunities
• Partners with and supports visual team in providing in-store signage and store presentation guidance.
• Understands nuances of the digital business and executes appropriate merchandising strategy for differing retail channels
• Work with marketing teams on promotions and event pricing (add management information)
• Drive business growth through partnership with Planning by utilizing assortment matrix.
• Develop a Store clustering strategy with Planning partner.
• Fluent in open-to-buy, markdown management, turn and margins
• Works with Planning team to analyze class, vendor and replenishment assortment both at the top line level and by door

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Your Life and Career at Saks OFF 5TH:

• Be part of an empowered, innovative team; work with an adventurous spirit and a customer-centric mindset; play a critical role in making decisions that will position us to win
• Exposure to rewarding career advancement opportunities across different functions within our corporate offices, retail stores, photo studios, and distribution centers
• A culture that promotes a flexible work environment
• Benefits package for all eligible full-time employees (including medical, dental and vision)
• An amazing employee discount and other exciting perks

Thank you for your interest with Saks OFF 5TH. We look forward to reviewing your application.

We believe that our differences not only make us stronger, but also guide our evolution and future growth. All associates are expected to create an inclusive environment free from harassment, discrimination, and bullying.Together, we celebrate, advocate for, and learn from our colleagues, customers and communities to create the best environment to shop and work for all.