Urban Outfitters Buyer

The Mission: 

At Urban Outfitters, we are on a mission to Fuel the Next Generation of Individuality. UO is the ultimate destination for youth culture, and we are looking for a visionary Buyer  to lead the charge in our most visible category.

From the "must-have" viral baby tee to the perfect oversized button-down, you will be the architect of a customer-obsessed product mix that is bold, ahead of the curve, and commercially explosive. We aren't just selling clothes; we are curating the aesthetic of a generation. If you have the analytical rigor of a strategist and the soul of a trend-forecaster, let’s build the future of retail together.

The Impact You’ll Make:

As the Buyer, you are the ultimate curator. You will balance creativity with data-driven decision-making to minimize risk and maximize the "hype" factor. You will collaborate with in-house design and global vendors to ensure our assortment is thoughtful, trend-relevant, and undeniable.

Key Responsibilities

1. Visionary Assortment Strategy

• Architect the Mix: Build a brand-appropriate, balanced assortment by merging raw customer feedback with macro fashion trends.

• Drive the "Viral" Factor: Own the strategy for key items and core blocks. Whether it’s a staple tank or a trend-heavy corset, you’ll ensure we have the right SKU count to drive maximum profit.

• Private Label vs. Branded: Masterfully juggle the mix of must-have third-party brands and our own margin-driving private labels to ensure UO remains a differentiated shopping destination.

2. Cultural & Trend Forecasting

• Be the Pulse of Youth Culture: Stay obsessed with social media, fashion shows, and street style. You’ll translate micro-trends (the next "it" silhouette, fabric innovation, or color story) into actionable product opportunities.

• Stay Ahead: Monitor emerging cultural shifts to ensure our tops collection hits the floor right as the trend peaks.

3. Product Development & Innovation

• Collaborate for Perfection: Partner with our in-house Design teams to develop fashion-forward styles and work with Production to balance "big-dream" designs with manufacturing reality (quality, lead time, and price).

• Digital-First Expansion: Support web growth by developing a variety of digital-first styles and exclusive online capsules.

4. Strategic Financial Management

• Own the Business: Proactively manage the Open to Buy (OTB) plan. You’ll use real-time data to execute timely reorders, cancellations, and markdown strategies.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Be a data champion. Analyze velocity, returns, and attributes to optimize the assortment. You make decisions based on insights, not just gut feelings.

5. Vendor & Relationship Mastery

• Negotiate for Growth: Build strong relationships with global suppliers to secure exclusivity, better pricing, and faster delivery terms.

• Professional Integrity: Represent the UO brand with professionalism, attracting new vendors that align with our brand vision.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Education: Fashion or merchandising degree or equivalent experience desired. 

Experience: 5 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. 

Assertiveness: Clearly and confidently express ideas, needs, and boundaries in a respectful manner.

Time Management: Proactively plans and controls time to efficiently deliver team priorities and meet deadlines. 

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

Ownership: Take responsibility for the outcomes of your work and the decisions that lead to those outcomes. Hold yourself accountable. 

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.

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URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits

URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.