Senior Buyer, Denim

Boot Barn; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity

PTO & sick time

11 holidays

Merchandise discount

Insurance (medical/dental/vision)

401(k) matching

Flexible schedule

Store growth

Job summary

Boot Barn in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Buyer, Denim to lead department strategy and financial performance. You will own long-range assortment, drive growth, and build the next generation of merchants by mentoring junior buyers and collaborating with Planning, Exclusive Brands, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising.

You will influence cross-functional initiatives to deliver sales, margin, inventory and customer experience while negotiating strong vendor partnerships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• 5+ years of progressive retail buying experience with demonstrated ownership of category performance and financial results.
• Proven experience mentoring merchandising talent and leading cross-functional partnerships.
• Strong vendor management, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and presentation abilities.

Responsibilities

• Own department strategy and financial performance aligned with company objectives.
• Drive merchandise strategies, assortment planning and vendor partnerships.
• Develop long-range assortment and product strategies by market and customer needs.
• Coordinate with Planning, Exclusive Brands, Marketing and Visuals to optimize store assortments and customer experience.
• Lead, coach and develop Associate Buyers and junior merchandising talent.
• Provide vendor market reports and respond to selling and marketing opportunities.

Skills

Merchandising strategy

Vendor relationships

Cross-functional partnerships

Excel & PowerPoint

Leadership & mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

The Senior Buyer, Denim is responsible for leading department strategy and financial performance while developing future merchandising talent. This role owns long-term assortment and product strategies, drives sustainable business growth, leads key vendor partnerships, and influences cross-functional initiatives across the organization. The Senior Buyer partners closely with Planning, Exclusive Brands, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, and senior leadership to deliver sales, margin, inventory, and customer experience objectives while building the next generation of merchants.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own department strategy and financial performance, ensuring alignment with company objectives and long-term growth initiatives.
• Drive results with strong merchandise strategies and execution
• Identify opportunities for sustainable growth through category expansion, assortment optimization, and strategic vendor partnerships.
• Develop and execute long-range assortment and product strategies that support customer needs, market trends, and business goals.
• Partner with cross-functional team members to develop division key concepts, key items, promotional strategies and store assortments to ensure that product is commercially viable and provides an exciting customer store experience
• Closely coordinates with vendors the timely execution of product manufacturing and delivery
• Develops class assortment plans that quantify the seasonal buys correctly by store volume group, and address regional and lifestyle differences of our customers
• Selects product that is assorted by price point, function and fashion that promotes multiple items in each purchase
• Develops the floor set with the visual team to create the strongest impact and engage our customers to drive sales
• Responds to timely to selling and marketing opportunities to ensure the continued growth of the organization
• Provide supervisors with comprehensive vendor market reports after competitive shopping
• Lead, coach, and develop Associate Buyers, Assistant Buyers, and emerging merchandising talent.
• Demonstrates high level of quality work, attendance and appearance.
• Demonstrates high degree of professionalism in communication, attitude and teamwork with customers, peers and management.
• Adhere to all local, federal and state laws in addition to Company policies, procedures, and practices.
• Performs any other duties that may be assigned by management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• 5+ years of progressive retail buying experience with demonstrated ownership of category performance and financial results.
• Proven experience developing and mentoring merchandising talent.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional partnerships and influencing business strategy.
• Strong experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating business opportunities.
• Strong communication skills and building relationships both internally and externally with Planning, Allocation, Store Operations, Visuals, Marketing, Exclusive Brands and Vendors
• Thorough knowledge of retail math such as sales, gross margin, OTB calculations, initial mark-up calculations turnover, etc.
• Effective oral presentations with well-prepared content and confident delivery
• Excellent knowledge of Excel, Word and Power Point
• Business Acumen - Demonstrates deep understanding of sales, margin, inventory, customer behavior, assortment strategy, and market trends to drive business performance.
• Strategic Thinking - Develops long-term business and product strategies that drive sustainable growth and align with company objectives. Balances short-term execution with future opportunities and risks.
• Ensure Effective Communication - Listens carefully and attentively to others' opinions and ideas. Communicates information clearly, concisely, and professionally.
• Establish Trust - Follows through on commitments. Is honest and direct with others. Promotes a culture of respect for, commitment to, and compliance with Company values, beliefs, and standards. Ensures the protection of confidential information.
• Leadership Through Influence - Builds alignment across functions, influences decisions beyond direct reporting relationships, and effectively communicates strategic recommendations to leadership teams.
• Talent Development - Actively develops future merchants through coaching, mentorship, and meaningful career development opportunities. Builds strong teams and succession pipelines.

Boot Barn Benefits & Additional Compensation Opportunities

• Annual bonus opportunity of 15%, with potential for additional earnings based on performance and established criteria.
• Equity eligible.
• Two weeks of Paid Time Off + sick time for year-round Boot Barn Partners*
• 11 paid holidays in addition to PTO.
• Merchandise discount: 50% off of Exclusive Brands and 40% off of third-party brands.
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.*
• 401(k) plan with generous company matching.
• Flexible schedules and work/life balance.
• Opportunities for growth at every level – we are opening 50+ new stores each year.

PAY RANGE: $150,000.00 - $160,000.00/yr*

*compensation varies based on geography, skills, experience, and tenure

Physical Demands

In general, the following physical demands are representative of those that must be met by a Partner to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Standing, walking and squatting less than fifty percent of the work shift.
• Required to lift, move and carry up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to read, count and write to accurately complete all documentation and reports.
• Must be able to see, hear and speak in order to communicate with partners and customers.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Manual dexterity required using hands to finger; handle, feel and type; reach with hands and arms.

[ ] Sedentary: Limited activity, no lifting, limited walking

[ X ] Light: Office work, some lifting, bending, stooping or kneeling, walking

[ ] Moderate: Mostly standing, walking, bending, frequent lifting

[ ] Arduous: Heavy lifting, bending, crawling, climbing

In general, the following conditions of the work environment are representative of those that a Partner encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job within the environment.

• The workspace is clean, orderly, properly lighted and ventilated with the proper safety compliance.
• Noise levels are considered moderate.

Boot Barn, Inc. reserves the right to make exceptions to modify or eliminate this document or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines pertaining to this subject.

Our core value of community bands us together in supportive and inclusive ways to drive our collective success. Boot Barn provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national or ethnic origin, veteran or military status, disability, as well as any other protected status under the law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Boot Barn will provide reasonable accommodations (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with the application process upon your request as required by applicable laws. If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please visit your nearest Boot Barn Store or Distribution Center or reach out to Human Resources at 1-949-453-4400, Option 4.