Buyer

Ralph Lauren Corporation; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ralph Lauren Corporation seeks a senior leader to oversee half of the Menswear department, driving assortment strategy, product selection, and commercial performance. You will balance magic with numbers, manage investment build and OTB, and lead a small team to deliver omni-channel results across regions.

You will collaborate with planning and cross-functional partners, translating data into actionable strategy, while maintaining brand elevation and profitability across categories.

Qualifications

• Strong numeric and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize data and identify actions and commercial opportunities accordingly.
• Product focused, with the ability to demonstrate commercial, trend, competitor, and brand awareness.
• Highly organized, with the ability to prioritize workload for self and others.
• Articulate, with the ability to communicate well in both verbal and non-verbal communication forms.
• Influential leadership and team building skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire direct business partners and a wider business audience.
• Resilient, with the ability to see challenge as opportunity, think with a solution-based mindset, yet raise concerns in a confident manner.
• Champion of diversity and psychological safety, with the ability to recognize the value of different perspectives and cultures, while creating a climate that fosters empathy, integrity, authenticity and trust.
• Proficient in Microsoft packages including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Assortment Strategy and Product Selection: synthesize performance analysis and build a strong understanding of the Polo Menswear customer.
• Devise an assortment that delivers strategies, optimises brand elevation, and secures commercial success.
• Coordinate with counterpart and department lead to align with the total Menswear department goals.
• Liaise with stakeholders to ensure go-to-market strategies are executed as planned.

Skills

Analytical skills

Product focused

Organizational skills

Communication

Leadership

Resilience

Diversity champion

Tools

Outlook

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
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The prospective candidate will oversee 50 percent of the total Menswear department, managing up to 5 product category areas end to end.
From the assortment strategy and product selection to the investment build and OTB management, the candidate will be expected to balance magic and logic, product, and numbers, to optimise brand elevation and deliver commercial success.

Assortment Strategy and Product Selection

• Synthesise, evaluate, and summarize performance analysis on a seasonal basis.
• Build and develop a strong understanding of the Polo Menswear customer, through regular competitor shops, store visits and wider-market reading.
• Utilise learnings to formulate sound product strategies that are in line with financial plans, departmental expectations, and overarching company goals.
• Devise an assortment selection that will deliver such strategies, optimise brand elevation, and secure commercial success.
• Work with counterpart and department lead, to ensure respective areas work within the wider context of the total Menswear department.
• Demonstrate a holistic view and assist in the concept and distribution strategy for the total Menswear department.
• Liaise regularly with key stakeholders across the business to ensure the go-to-market strategies are executed as intended.

Investment Build and OTB management

• Work closely with Planning counterparts to balance the OTB and Revenue KPIs, ensuring the financial framework for respective categories is optimised yet achievable.
• Project unit requirements that will deliver the financial framework and balance such KPI’s (intake margin, buy cost/units, AIR, gross margin, sales revenue/units, AUR, sell-through).
• Trade respective categories on a weekly basis; Identify areas of risk and opportunity, and drive decisions that will optimise success and re-balance inventory levels where needed.

Team Input

• Coach and nurture a team of 2 junior members, who will support in the admin and product selection for the respective categories.
• Work closely within own team, and across the wider Menswear teams to maintain a strong omni-channel, omni-region proposition to the end consumer.
• Collaborate and build strong working relationships with key stakeholders across the business, to ensure goals are clear, supported and executed as planned.

• Strong numeric and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize data and identify actions and commercial opportunities accordingly.
• Product focused, with the ability to demonstrate commercial, trend, competitor, and brand awareness.
• Highly organized, with the ability to prioritize workload for self and others.
• Articulate, with the ability to communicate well in both verbal and non-verbal communication forms.
• Influential leadership and team building skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire direct business partners and a wider business audience.
• Resilient, with the ability to see challenge as opportunity, think with a solution-based mindset, yet raise concerns in a confident manner.
• Champion of diversity and psychological safety, with the ability to recognize the value of different perspectives and cultures, while creating a climate that fosters empathy, integrity, authenticity and trust.
• Proficient in Microsoft packages including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.