Senior Buyer - Witchery

Country Road; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bi-annual product allowance

40% discount for you and family across

Health & wellbeing support

Parental leave program

Career development opportunities

Learning calendar

Community partnerships

Job summary

Witchery, part of Country Road Group, is seeking a Senior Buyer to lead seasonal range development and drive commercial performance across our fashion-forward collections. You will partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing and Production to translate market trends into compelling product assortments that resonate with Australian customers.

In this leadership role you will own Open to Buy, manage margins, and mentor a high-performing team.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in Buying or Merchandising in fashion/retail.
• Experience developing buying strategies and managing product categories to hit commercial objectives.
• Strong expertise in seasonal range building, assortment planning, pricing architecture.
• Excellent commercial and financial acumen with knowledge of sales, margin, OTB, inventory management.
• Strong understanding of customer behaviour, market trends and competitor activity.
• Supplier management, cost negotiations and collaboration with Design/Planning/Production.
• Analytical, with ability to translate insights into commercial decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management and leadership within cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of seasonal buying strategies and assortments.
• Drive category performance through range planning, product selection, pricing and margin management.
• Analyse market trends, competitor activity and customer insights to identify opportunities.
• Partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing and Production to deliver commercially successful ranges.
• Own in-season trading, review sales and stock to maximise profitability.
• Manage Open to Buy (OTB) in partnership with Planning.
• Lead range reviews and inform future buying decisions.
• Build supplier relationships to achieve margins and quality objectives.
• Manage deliverables against the critical path and milestones.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to team members.

Skills

Senior buying

Merchandising

Market analysis

Stakeholder management

Omnichannel retail

Education

Fashion Merchandising degree

Job description

WE ARE THE STYLE AUTHORITY! Witchery is an Australian fashion brand, delivering on-trend pieces that capture fashion’s latest mood. We’re a daily source of inspiration, as we empower today’s women to express themselves through our collections wherever their life or ambition may take them.

As the Senior Buyer, you will play a key role in driving the commercial success of the brand through the development and execution of compelling, customer-focused product assortments. Partnering closely with Design, Planning, Sourcing and Production teams, you will lead seasonal range development, balancing creative vision with commercial objectives to deliver products that resonate with our customers. Through your strong market awareness, analytical expertise and strategic approach to buying, you will identify growth opportunities, optimise category performance and drive sales, margin and profitability while ensuring ranges reflect the brand's identity and customer expectations.

How You Will Contribute

• Lead the development and execution of seasonal buying strategies and product assortments, ensuring alignment with brand, customer and commercial objectives
• Drive category performance through effective range planning, product selection, pricing strategies and margin management
• Analyse market trends, competitor activity and customer insights to identify opportunities for product innovation and category growth
• Partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing and Production teams to deliver commercially successful ranges that balance creativity, quality, cost and timelines
• Own in-season trading performance, reviewing sales, stock and margin results to identify risks, maximise opportunities and drive profitability
• Manage seasonal Open to Buy (OTB) in partnership with Planning, ensuring effective inventory management and achievement of financial targets
• Lead seasonal range reviews, analysing best and worst sellers, product performance and customer feedback to inform future buying decisions
• Build strong supplier relationships, negotiating costs and identifying sourcing opportunities to achieve margin and quality objectives
• Manage buying deliverables against the critical path, ensuring ranges are developed and delivered in line with key milestones
• Provide leadership, guidance and mentoring to team members, fostering a collaborative, commercially focused and high-performing team culture.

Capabilities We Value

• 5+ years' experience in Buying or Merchandising within a fast-paced fashion or retail environment, with demonstrated experience at a senior level
• Proven experience developing and executing successful buying strategies and managing product categories to achieve commercial objectives
• Strong expertise in seasonal range building, assortment planning, product selection and pricing architecture
• Excellent commercial and financial acumen, with strong knowledge of sales, margin, OTB, inventory management and profitability
• Strong understanding of customer behaviour, market trends and competitor activity, with the ability to translate insights into commercially successful product ranges
• Demonstrated experience in supplier management, cost negotiations and working collaboratively with Design, Planning and Production teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret trading performance and make informed commercial decisions
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing capabilities, with the confidence to drive outcomes across cross-functional teams
• Experience working within an omnichannel retail environment, with a strong understanding of both physical and digital retail performance
• A collaborative and commercially minded leader who enjoys developing others, identifying opportunities and driving continuous improvement
• A qualification in Fashion, Buying, Merchandising, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.

What We Offer

• Bi-annual product allowance, access to sample sales and 40% discount for you and your immediate family across all CRG brands
• Flex your leave your way, including birthday leave, volunteer leave, personal leave and more
• Access to health and wellbeing support, including Health Insurance, 24/7 EAP counselling, discounted gym memberships and financial advice services
• 18 weeks paid parental leave program for eligible employees with return-to-work clothing allowance
• Internal career opportunities across our brands
• Annual learning calendar to support your ongoing development
• Support impactful community and charity partnerships across our brands, including OCRF, Our Watch, First Nations Reconciliation, Movember, Red Cross and Landcare.

Who We Are

Country Road Group is a design-led portfolio of premium fashion brands, comprising five iconic labels: Country Road, Mimco, Trenery, Witchery and Politix. Each brand has its own story, and together they hold a market-leading position in the mid to upper tier of Australia's specialty fashion segment with a focus on delivering our ambition to build a portfolio of distinctive brands that drive sustainable growth. Country Road Group is part of Woolworths Holdings Limited (South Africa), a leading Southern Hemisphere retail group.

We encourage you to explore our Current Opportunities and we look forward to connecting with you!

Country Road Group acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present.

We’re committed to inclusion and accessibility. If we can support you with any adjustments at any stage, please let us know.