Buyer

KIVARI; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday day off

Monthly team lunch

Confidential EAP support

Employee discount

Uniform allowance

Job summary

KIVARI, founded in Sydney, is seeking an experienced Head Buyer to lead the seasonal buy across owned-label and branded product for Australia and the US. You’ll own option counts, margins and delivery schedules, working with Planning, Design and Production to navigate two hemispheres.

In this hands-on role you’ll translate data into buy decisions, manage supplier negotiations, and present trade rationale to leadership. Based in our Rosebery office with a fast-growth mindset.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ buying experience in fashion, apparel or lifestyle retail, with end-to-end ownership of a seasonal buy.
• Advanced Excel and real confidence working with sell-through, sales mix and size curve reporting.
• A highly analytical approach and strong commercial judgement across option counts, buy quantities, margin and pricing.
• Experience buying for a branded business.
• Strong negotiation skills with suppliers and vendors.
• The confidence to present buy rationale to leadership and to hold a position with design and supplier stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• The seasonal buy - execute it against the agreed range strategy and budget, building option counts and buy quantities within agreed category parameters, in collaboration with Planning.
• Style-level buy plans - buy quantities and delivery schedules across the approved range, phased correctly to each market’s season.
• In-season trade - read performance signals early, repeat best sellers while the opportunity is still live, and rephase or pull stock forward when trade supports it.
• Margin and pricing - build buys to hit agreed margin targets, maintain RRP and price architecture by category, and flag costing risk before the buy is committed.
• Size curve and sell-through analysis - set size ratios from the data rather than carrying last season’s forward, and evidence every reorder and markdown recommendation.
• Branded product - purchasing and supplier negotiation for third-party brands alongside owned label, bought, costed and delivered to the same standard.
• Category expansion - identify white space and opportunity categories, put them forward with evidence, and bring new categories into the buy without disrupting the core range.
• Cross-team partnership - Planning on OTB, allocation and stock health; Design and Production on execution, costing and delivery timing; Marketing and Ecommerce on launch and go-to-market.
• Buy presentation and reporting - present buys, rationale and trade performance to Merchandising leadership and the Founder for sign-off.
• Product feedback - take what trade is telling you about fit, quality and commerciality back to Design and Production in time to shape the next range.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Sell-through analysis

Commercial judgement

Negotiation skills

Branded business experience

Leadership presentation

Education

Fashion buying qualification

Job description

Born in Australia. Belonging everywhere.

ABOUT US

KIVARI is an accessible designer brand with deep coastal roots, founded in Sydney in 2014. Every piece is designed by our team in Australia and crafted with sustainability in mind. With signature design handwriting, quality craft and considered details, we inspire women to feel confident and authentically themselves. Community comes first, quality always. It’s how we design, and it’s how we work - a warm environment where creativity thrives as we grow across the globe.

ABOUT YOU

This is a hands-on buying role across owned-label and branded product, for both our Australian and US markets. You’ll execute the seasonal buy - option counts, quantities, reorders, margin - and own the reasoning behind every one of those calls, with room to grow into new categories as our assortment expands.

You build buying decisions on evidence rather than instinct. You live in sell-through, sales mix, size curve and option performance, and you can explain the why behind any number on your buy sheet. Advanced Excel is essential; this role sits in the data every day.

You’re comfortable presenting a buy to leadership and standing behind it, and giving Design and Production direct, evidence-based feedback when trade says something isn’t working. You’ve bought for a branded business, you move at pace, and buying across two hemispheres - reverse seasonality, two calendars, two customers - appeals to you rather than worries you.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• The seasonal buy - execute it against the agreed range strategy and budget, building option counts and buy quantities within agreed category parameters, in collaboration with Planning.
• Style-level buy plans -buy quantities and delivery schedules across the approved range, phased correctly to each market’s season.
• In-season trade - read performance signals early, repeat best sellers while the opportunity is still live, and rephase or pull stock forward when trade supports it.
• Margin and pricing - build buys to hit agreed margin targets, maintain RRP and price architecture by category, and flag costing risk before the buy is committed.
• Size curve and sell-through analysis - set size ratios from the data rather than carrying last season’s forward, and evidence every reorder and markdown recommendation.
• Branded product - purchasing and supplier negotiation for third-party brands alongside owned label, bought, costed and delivered to the same standard.
• Category expansion - identify white space and opportunity categories, put them forward with evidence, and bring new categories into the buy without disrupting the core range.
• Cross-team partnership - Planning on OTB, allocation and stock health; Design and Production on execution, costing and delivery timing; Marketing and Ecommerce on launch and go-to-market.
• Buy presentation and reporting - present buys, rationale and trade performance to Merchandising leadership and the Founder for sign-off.
• Product feedback - take what trade is telling you about fit, quality and commerciality back to Design and Production in time to shape the next range.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• 5+ years’ buying experience in fashion, apparel or lifestyle retail, with end-to-end ownership of a seasonal buy. This one is essential.
• Advanced Excel, and real confidence working with sell-through, sales mix and size curve reporting.
• A highly analytical approach and strong commercial judgement across option counts, buy quantities, margin and pricing - you can defend every decision from the data.
• Experience buying for a branded business.
• Strong negotiation skills with suppliers and vendors.
• The confidence to present buy rationale to leadership, and to hold a position with design and supplier stakeholders.
• Comfort operating at pace, with a high degree of initiative and ownership.
• Experience buying across multiple markets or hemispheres, managing branded third-party product alongside owned label, or working in a founder-led or fast-growth environment (all desirable).
• Relevant qualifications in fashion buying, merchandising, business or commerce are highly regarded.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A creative, collaborative environment - a close-knit team in our new Rosebery office, direct access to the people making decisions, and the space to bring ideas forward and see them happen.
• Real growth -as KIVARI expands worldwide, we’re committed to helping you develop your skills and your career.
• Real support - a paid day off for your birthday, a monthly team lunch on us, and 24/7 confidential support through our EAP.
• Purpose - we design with intention, make with sustainability in mind, and stay close to the community and the coastline that shaped us.
• Competitive package - salary plus a generous team member discount and a quarterly uniform allowance.

OUR VALUES

Community First · Quality Always · Believe in What’s Possible · Always Evolving

This role is based in our Head Office in Rosebery, Sydney NSW.

KIVARI is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive environment for all. All applications are treated in the strictest confidence.