Head of Buying

Who in the Zoo Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Who in the Zoo Recruitment partners with a fast-growing Australian womenswear brand to appoint a Head of Buying who will lead the product vision and buying strategy. You’ll own the full product function, from trend and range strategy to sourcing, supplier negotiations, trading performance and team leadership, in close collaboration with the senior leadership team.

This is a high-impact role with international sourcing exposure and the chance to shape product across multiple customer segments in

Qualifications

• Significant experience in women’s fashion buying, ideally within high-volume eCommerce.
• Strong product instinct and deep understanding of the womenswear customer.
• Experience across high-SKU-volume categories.
• Strong understanding of fit, grading, sizing and product quality.
• Proven experience working with international suppliers and sourcing partners.
• Commercially driven with a strong understanding of sales, margin and profitability.
• Comfortable using both data and instinct to make buying decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Genuine passion for fashion, trends, social media and customer behaviour.
• Curious and confident using technology and AI to enhance the buying function.
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to build and inspire a high-performing team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall buying and product strategy across seasonal and in-season ranges
• Own new product development and range direction
• Build high-volume womenswear collections across key customer occasions and categories
• Use customer insights, market trends and sales data to drive product decisions
• Partner with Planning to optimise assortment, depth, repeats, markdowns, margin and sell-through
• Identify opportunities to improve fit, quality and product relevance while reducing returns
• Lead supplier relationships, negotiations, costing and margin management
• Drive international sourcing and identify new supplier opportunities
• Partner with Marketing and eCommerce to align product with campaigns, launches and customer storytelling
• Explore AI and technology to improve trend forecasting, product development and range planning
• Lead, mentor and develop the Buying team
• Work closely with senior stakeholders to ensure product strategy translates into strong commercial results

Job description

We’ve partnered with a high-growth Australian womenswear brand to recruit an exceptional Head of Buying to lead their product vision and buying strategy.

This is a genuinely high-impact opportunity for a senior fashion leader with strong product instinct, commercial nous and a deep understanding of the modern Australian woman.

You’ll have ownership across the full product function, from trend and range strategy through to sourcing, supplier negotiations, trading performance and team leadership, working closely with the senior leadership team to shape the next phase of growth.

Why You’ll Love It

• Senior leadership position with genuine influence over the product direction
• High level of ownership across Buying and Product
• Work closely with an entrepreneurial senior leadership team
• Lead and develop a passionate Buying team
• International sourcing exposure
• Opportunity to influence product across multiple customer segments
• Collaborative, fast-paced and commercially driven culture
• Strong focus on innovation, technology and AI
• Opportunity to make a genuine impact within a growing Australian fashion business

The Role

You’ll own the overall buying strategy and product vision, ensuring the range remains relevant, commercially compelling and closely connected to the customer.

You'll balance fashion instinct, customer insight and data to build high-volume womenswear collections, while working closely with Planning, Marketing, eCommerce and Operations to maximise commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the overall buying and product strategy across seasonal and in-season ranges
• Own new product development and range direction
• Build high-volume womenswear collections across key customer occasions and categories
• Use customer insights, market trends and sales data to drive product decisions
• Partner with Planning to optimise assortment, depth, repeats, markdowns, margin and sell-through
• Identify opportunities to improve fit, quality and product relevance while reducing returns
• Lead supplier relationships, negotiations, costing and margin management
• Drive international sourcing and identify new supplier opportunities
• Partner with Marketing and eCommerce to align product with campaigns, launches and customer storytelling
• Explore AI and technology to improve trend forecasting, product development and range planning
• Lead, mentor and develop the Buying team
• Work closely with senior stakeholders to ensure product strategy translates into strong commercial results

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience in women’s fashion buying, ideally within high-volume eCommerce
• Strong product instinct and deep understanding of the womenswear customer
• Experience across high-SKU-volume categories
• Strong understanding of fit, grading, sizing and product quality
• Proven experience working with international suppliers and sourcing partners
• Commercially driven with a strong understanding of sales, margin and profitability
• Comfortable using both data and instinct to make buying decisions
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Genuine passion for fashion, trends, social media and customer behaviour
• Curious and confident using technology and AI to enhance the buying function
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to build and inspire a high-performing team