Associate Buyer

Backcountry; Cottonwood Heights (UT); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discounts

Outdoor perks

Job summary

Backcountry is seeking an Associate Buyer in Cottonwood Heights to own the PO process, influence assortment decisions, and confidently engage vendors within the first 6–12 months. You will work in a lean team, taking on substantial responsibility and moving quickly to drive category results.

You will collaborate with Buyers and Sr. Buyers, manage vendor communications, and contribute to seasonal strategy, pricing, and inventory planning while leveraging AI tools to enhance analysis and workflows.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of relevant merchandising, buying, or inventory management experience.
• Solid foundation in Retail Math and Buying Fundamentals.
• Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail.
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable interpreting sales and inventory data.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar); able to prompt effectively and validate outputs.

Responsibilities

• Assist in seasonal assortment selection including pricing, category and brand mix, and inventory planning; analyze historical sales data and market trends to contribute a point of view to assortment decisions.
• Manage day-to-day vendor communication; participate in seasonal term negotiations, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members.
• Mark vendor catalogs for SKU/PO worksheet creation; build POs (Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation, Size/Color Breakout) under tight deadlines and ensure on-time submission; manage PO edits, past dues, and pre-season and ASAP builds with growing independence.
• Support the promotional calendar with SKU selection, rules page review, and QA; react to promotional performance and contribute a point of view on what is and is not working.
• Work with the Planner on pre-season inventory allocation, in-season sell-through tracking, and pricing strategy for slow movers.
• Review and optimize product presentation on site pages including color thumbnails, boost and sort order, cross-sells, backorder management, and site taxonomy and facets.
• Use AI tools to analyze assortment performance, research competitive positioning, draft promotional briefs, and streamline PO workflows; validate outputs before applying them.
• Support Assistant Buyers on administrative and operational processes; collaborate with Buyers and Sr. Buyers to execute shared category goals

Skills

Merchandising

Buying

Inventory management

Retail math

Analytical skills

Communication skills

AI tools

Job description

Reports to: Buyer I or Buyer II

Adventure is our Culture. Join a team that celebrates a lifestyle as bold as the terrain we love. At Backcountry, we are rooted in adventure, recognition, and wellbeing on and off the mountain. We spotlight employee stories, celebrate milestones, and offer exclusive outdoor perks. Whether you are at HQ, in a retail store, or remote, you will be part of a team that thrives on energy, exploration, and connection.

About the Role:

You support category strategy, build your own vendor relationships, and develop the analytical instincts that define a great buyer — this is where buying careers are made at Backcountry.

As Associate Buyer, you will own your PO process independently, contribute a meaningful point of view to assortment decisions, and represent Backcountry confidently in routine vendor conversations within your first 6–12 months.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do:

• Assist in seasonal assortment selection including pricing, category and brand mix, and inventory planning; analyze historical sales data and market trends to contribute a point of view to assortment decisions
• Manage day-to-day vendor communication; participate in seasonal term negotiations, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members
• Mark vendor catalogs for SKU/PO worksheet creation; build POs (Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation, Size/Color Breakout) under tight deadlines and ensure on-time submission; manage PO edits, past dues, and pre-season and ASAP builds with growing independence
• Support the promotional calendar with SKU selection, rules page review, and QA; react to promotional performance and contribute a point of view on what is and is not working
• Work with the Planner on pre-season inventory allocation, in-season sell-through tracking, and pricing strategy for slow movers
• Review and optimize product presentation on site pages including color thumbnails, boost and sort order, cross-sells, backorder management, and site taxonomy and facets
• Use AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar) to analyze assortment performance, research competitive positioning, draft promotional briefs, and streamline PO workflows; validate outputs before applying them
• Support Assistant Buyers on administrative and operational processes; collaborate with Buyers and Sr. Buyers to execute shared category goals

Required Qualifications:

• 2–3 years of relevant merchandising, buying, or inventory management experience
• Solid foundation in Retail Math and Buying Fundamentals
• Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable interpreting sales and inventory data
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar); able to prompt effectively and validate outputs

Preferred Qualifications:

• Passion for outdoor activities and knowledge of outdoor gear and apparel

Why Join:

The people who do best here are builders. They take ownership, move fast, and want to see the direct impact of their work.

• Real Impact Early: Begin owning real category work — assortment decisions, vendor conversations, and inventory strategy — earlier than you would almost anywhere else in outdoor retail.
• Skill Building and Growth: Develop the full buying skill set on a team that invests in your progression and has a clear path to the next level, including building AI fluency as a core professional skill.
• Ownership: Work alongside experienced buyers who take product seriously and bring genuine expertise to every category decision, while trusting you to own your projects end to end.
• Competitive Benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.

Interview Process:

• Recruiter Screen - A 30- to 45-minute conversation with our recruiting team to align on the role, your background, and what you are looking for.
• Hiring Manager Interview - Conversation with the Buyer focused on your merchandising experience, analytical approach, and category instincts.
• Case Discussion - A practical exercise exploring how you approach assortment decisions, PO building, or promotional analysis.
• In-Person Interview - We'd like to meet you at our Cottonwood Heights office. Details and logistics will be arranged with your recruiter.
• Reference Checks - Conducted in parallel with the final stages where possible.
• Offer - We move quickly for the right candidate.

Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.

CSC Generation is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The CSC Generation family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected] .

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie-detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.