Senior Merchant Buyer - Outdoor Apparel - Remote Potential - DTC Fast Growing

Do you have a passion for product and a love for the outdoors? We're on a roll, and we have a great merchandising opportunity for a scrappy, entrepreneurial go-getter. About us: The Territory Ahead is a men’s specialty-niche apparel brand selling direct to consumer through e-commerce and catalogs. 

We began our journey in 1988 as a new kind of clothing company — offering personality through unique fabrics, attention to the smallest of details, and easy, wearable designs. The Territory Ahead is known for best sellers like Old Steamboat Corduroy Shirts, A-List T-shirts, and Mission Comfort Chinos.

We design and develop our clothing in-house, focusing on lifestyle rather than fashion trends. Through our catalogs and website, we promote fun and adventure by blending compelling outdoor imagery, clever editorial and our own eclectic brand of clothing. Our passion is to provide the best product and experience for our customers. Our brand is adventurous and fun, and our beloved customer is not boring...they're always looking for something really cool and interesting.

We are a small company. Every team member plays a vital role in our success. Our ideal candidates will possess the following:

• Self-motivated and self-sufficient
• Ability to provide creative solutions
• Ability to work on a budget
• Ability to multi-task and wear many hats
• Tenacity in follow up
• Experience working in both larger, structured organizations as well as small, start-ups
• Entrepreneurial spirit, an open mind, a passion for detail, and a love for our customer
• Passion for the outdoors and a connection to the outdoor product industry
• Flexibility, a go-with-the-flow personality in a fast-paced creative atmosphere
• Collaborative spirit
• A scrappy mindset
• Great taste level and a strong passion for menswear
• A sense of humor

 

If you are an energetic and opportunistic professional with a strong work ethic and a positive, can-do attitude, we’d like to meet you!  

 

Position Title: Merchant

Reports to: Chief Merchandising Officer / General Manager

Location: Cincinnati (Blue Ash), Ohio – Remote Potential for the Right Candidate

Position Summary:

The Territory Ahead is looking for an energetic, ambitious, and customer-centric Merchant to use their skills and passion, acting as a key player in driving our brand’s growth. This position must work closely with both Chief Merchant and Director of Merchandise Planning & Inventory, to achieve optimum category balance and profitability. The Merchant is responsible for developing a product assortment strategy and line plan that supports the brand objectives and delivers sales and profit targets. The Merchant works in collaboration with all cross-functional partners to deliver departmental plans and achieve the financial goals of the brand division and the company. The Merchant understands the components of building a successful business based on sales, history, white-space opportunities, and market trends. In season, they must have the ability to generate and analyze financial reporting identifying upside opportunities as well as potential sales risk and make recommendations on how to increase sales and reduce markdowns delivering both top and bottom-line growth. Additionally, the Merchant balances knowledge of the market and trends, with inventory management and product delivery in the determination of purchase quantities, color, and sizes. Critical to this person’s success will be the ability to collaborate with the entire team to maintain the brand mission and DNA. The Merchant also coaches and mentors the assistant merchant and leads by example. This individual must be a go-getter, one who is continually willing to go above and beyond the normal call of duty.

Duties / Responsibilities:

 

• Accountable for delivering a best-in-class assortment and product offering
• Develop merchandising strategy and influence design and marketing, with data to support, while supporting brand objectives
• Responsible for cross-functional alignment among all partners in the company
• Upholds brand filter and product integrity across categories
• Provides customers an assortment with a “one-eye” point of view that works within the complete brand vision
• Assist in identifying white space in the business and fill it in with volume driving ideas, demonstrates a curiosity for new category and business opportunities
• Identify key trends in fashion and marketplace that are relevant to the brand and business
• Manage read & react strategies including testing opportunities
• Creates, manages, and builds a plan that supports lifestyle and outfits to tell a cohesive story
• Analyzes and reports on selling, intimately knows the business, strong points and weak spots
• Collaborates in inventory analyses and re-forecasting process
• Collaborates in the management of the Open-to-Buy
• Maintains in depth knowledge of the product categories, demonstrates a thirst for knowledge and garment details
• Culture and market awareness and research of relevant market & competitive trends
• Competitive analyses and identifying product and pricing opportunities
• Collaborates in the catalog pagination process
• Daily communication with internal partners as well as external vendors and suppliers
• Demonstrate high energy level and be a self-starter, team player, a contributor to a healthy company culture

 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's Degree preferably in business, retail merchandising, or fashion merchandising
• Years of Experience: 5 - 7 of progressively more significant merchant roles, in some combination of the department and/or specialty retail, preferably apparel
• Taste level that is synergistic with the brand
• Strong presentation and communication skills
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills
• Proficient in conflict management and problem-solving
• Ability to identify, develop and retain talent
• Achievement-oriented and has demonstrated leadership potential
• Proven sense of urgency
• Possess strong mentoring and teaching skills
• Proficient computer skills (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook)
• Ability to think strategically and tactically
• Strong fact-based and intuitive decision-making skills

·      Numerical and analytical ability required

• Strong attention to detail and format
• Must have ability to multi-task
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize and reprioritize projects frequently
• Work well under pressure and demonstrate the ability to adapt to change
• Ability to travel domestically