Urban Outfitters Senior Buyer - Gifting and Tech

The Urban Outfitters Senior Buyer curates a customer-oriented product mix that is thoughtful, commercial, and drives sales.  The Senior Buyer collaborates with vendor and our in-house design team to both introduce new concepts and manage our core business.  Use data to minimize risks and maximize sales opportunities. 

• Assortment: Utilize customer feedback and market trends to build a brand-appropriate and balanced assortment, considering fashion vision, quality, fit, value, price point, and style/SKU count. Develop and manage a core business while incorporating fashion newness and test silhouettes. Ensure an appropriate blend of private label and branded products. Lead online expansion and testing opportunities by suggesting category extensions and web exclusives to drive growth. 

• Fashion and Trend Awareness: Stay updated on fashion trends and styles, contributing to product selection with a strong sense of style and good taste. Monitor fashion shows, industry publications, and social media to identify emerging trends and understand cultural and societal shifts influencing fashion. 

• Product Development: Research new products, suppliers, and vendors. Generate a substantial quantity and quality of innovative and creative ideas. Foster a collaborative relationship with the Design team to develop innovative, relevant, and fashion-forward designs. Apply industry trends to the product development process to create a variety of web expansion styles. Partner with the Production team to balance manufacturing limitations while pushing for high quality, shorter lead times, and better price/value. 

• Vendor Relationships: Represent the brand with integrity and authority. Build relationships with the market to create a differentiated product mix. Attract suppliers and new brands to Urban’s mix. Negotiate price, delivery, exclusivity, and terms to support business objectives. 

• Planning: Manage the Open to Buy (OTB) plan using flow sheets and item plans, adjusting the OTB based on business needs. Analyze the business and react with timely reorders and cancellations. Maximize markdown dollars. Develops and executes effective seasonal strategies.  

• Data Utilization: Make informed decisions that align with customer preferences and market trends to optimize product assortments, forecast demand accurately, and drive profitability. Analyze velocity, attributes, returns and markdowns and develop strategies to achieve profitability. Conduct in-season and post-season analyses to better evaluate and control the business. 

• Leadership: Build trust and professional relationships by communicating effectively with peers, team members, vendors, and cross-functional teams. Offer thoughtful product feedback in a constructive manner. Delivers compelling presentations to leadership team.  Be decisive and support decisions with facts and analysis while keeping individual, division, and total company goals in mind.  Teach team to keep the customer in mind, to use the market to react to changes in business, and how to freshen up an assortment to keep up with trend changes. 

• Education: Fashion or merchandising degree or equivalent experience desired.  

• Experience: 9+ years of experience in a buying role is preferred.  

• Demographic Knowledge: Demonstrate an understanding of the target customer and the ability to select the appropriate product/trend that will appeal to the customer and meet their expectations. 

• Analytical Understanding: Comfort with use of statistical components of the business (IMU%, MD%, GM%, selloff, WOS, etc.) and the OTB.  

• Communication: Positive, professional, and timely communication with teams, supporting departments, vendors, and suppliers.  

• Influence: Clearly and confidently express ideas, needs, and boundaries in a respectful manner.  Persuade and motivate others to support ideas, initiatives, or changes.  

• Detail Orientation: Focus on and manage the small details of a task or project to consistently produce high-quality work.  

• Team Accountability:  Build an effective team that meet or exceeds performance goals.  

• Inclusivity: Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace.  

Key Attributes: Models behaviors that align with URBN’s values:  

Unite in communicating and collaborating with integrity. 

Respect our planet, our world, and each other.  

Build lifestyle brands through creative entrepreneurship.  

Nurture meaningful connections with customers and employees.