Buyer

Salt; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt is seeking a Senior Buyer to own the category range from concept to launch and beyond. You will fuse a sharp eye for product with commercial acumen, sourcing at right costs and ensuring margins. You’ll collaborate with Merchandising, design, suppliers and marketing, reporting to the Head of Buying.

You will lead strategy, negotiate with suppliers, and drive product from idea to market, balancing trend, price and delivery while upholding quality and ethical standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in fashion buying or merchandising is essential.
• Strong commercial judgement with ability to source cost-effective products.
• Proven negotiation and supplier management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Build seasonal range strategies based on trend, customer, and sales insights.
• Define range architecture including price points, width and depth.
• Negotiate costs, MOQs, lead times and payment terms with suppliers.
• Plan launches around key trading moments and ensure timely product availability.
• Lead product from concept through sampling, fit, and color sign-off.

Job description

As Buyer, you will own the range for your categories from first concept to launch and beyond. You will combine a strong eye for product with sharp commercial judgement: developing product our customers love, sourcing it at the right cost and quality, and making sure every range delivers on sales, margin and sell-through. This is a senior role in a buying team that is evolving fast. You will work closely with Merchandising & Planning, design, garment technology, suppliers and marketing, and report to the Head of Buying.

Key responsibilities

• Build seasonal range strategies for your categories using trend, customer, competitor and sales insight.
• Set the range architecture with Merchandising & Planning: price points, option counts, width and depth, and the balance of newness, carry-over and core.
• Buy within the agreed range plan and open to buy, and present ranges with a clear commercial rationale at range reviews and laydowns.
• Plan product and launches around key trading moments, including Ramadan, Eid, collection drops and pop-ups.
• Brief the design team and lead product from concept through sampling, fit, fabric, trims and colour sign-off.
• Work with the garment technician and QA so fit, quality, testing and care standards are met before production.
• Identify, evaluate and develop suppliers, mainly in Asia, for the right product, price, quality and capacity.
• Negotiate cost prices, MOQs, lead times and payment terms to deliver target margins.
• Manage supplier performance on quality and on-time delivery, and ensure compliance with ethical and sustainability standards.
• Own sales, margin on landed cost and full-price sell-through for your categories.
• Cost every style to a target intake margin, and protect margin from the design stage onward.
• React in season with Merchandising & Planning: repeats on winners, cancellations or re-phasing on slow sellers, and markdown and promotion decisions.
• Lead post-season reviews to decide what to keep, grow, fix or exit.

Critical path and delivery

• Own the critical path from design brief to warehouse, so milestones are met and stock lands in time for launches.
• Work with Supply Chain to track orders, resolve delays and manage risk on key deliveries.
• Present category performance and actions at the weekly trade meeting.
• Use sales data, customer feedback and returns insight to improve product season on season.
• Work with E-commerce and Marketing on launch stories, product content and campaign planning.

Salt is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.