Senior Buyer, DTC Digital Commerce

columbiasportswearcompany; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sorel, headquartered near Portland, Oregon, seeks a Sr. Buyer, DTC Digital Commerce to translate merchandising strategy into SKU- and size-level decisions across US & Canada digital channels.

You will own seasonal contract creation, in-season price and inventory management, and ensure live, visible, accurately priced product on site. This role partners with Merchandising, Planning, Site Merchandising, Marketing, and Operations to bring the assortment to life.

Qualifications

• Data-driven and analytically fluent; comfortable manipulating data and applying retail math to inform SKU- and size-level decisions.
• Eye for visual merchandising and understanding footwear trends to translate into on-site presentation.
• Adaptable to a changing business; willing to evolve processes and lean on forward-looking sales plans.
• Disciplined about reducing redundant work and partnering with Planning and Site Merchandising.
• Accountable to deadlines and able to meet DTC SOD timelines and respond promptly.
• Proactive communicator who presents data-backed recommendations.
• Strong attention to detail with excellent organizational and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Executes seasonal DTC contracts at SKU and size level with precision across units, cost, delivery timing, and market allocation; manages in-season adjustments including reflows, cancels, and delivery shifts.
• Aligns inventory flow to seasonal storytelling moments and key launches to reduce aged inventory and ensure timely delivery.
• Reads consumer demand signals, product performance, and market trends to optimize sell-thru, weeks of supply, and inventory turn; executes rebuys, cancels, and flow adjustments with Merchandising leadership.
• Generates a timely weekly business update rooted in proposed actions and delivers post-season recaps aligned to GTM gates.
• Ensures product - including in-line and SMU styles - is live and accurately represented on site through bi-weekly site audits; coordinates with Site Merchandising to fix data gaps.
• Partners with Merchandising and Planning to translate strategy into product decisions and validate alignment to OTB and guardrails; collaborates with Site Merchandising, Marketing, and Operations to activate and support products.
• Pre-season data gathering and GTM meetings to identify assortment opportunities and build initial seasonal financial snapshot with Merchandising.

Skills

Data-driven

Visual merchandising

Adaptable

Attention to detail

Communication

Deadline-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, or a related field

Tools

Excel

Power BI

GA4

Job description

This position is designated as a hybrid role based out of our headquarters near Portland, Oregon. The current expectation is for employees to work onsite four days per week, subject to change based on business needs. This in-office requirement may be adjusted at the discretion of the company.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Sr. Buyer, DTC Digital Commerce is responsible for executing product investments across SOREL's North America digital channels (US & Canada), translating Merchandising strategy into precise SKU- and size-level decisions within Planning-defined financial guardrails. This role owns all facets of DTC buying execution - seasonal contract creation, in-season price and inventory management, and consistent validation that product is live, visible, and accurately priced on site.

The Sr. Buyer partners cross-functionally with Merchandising, Planning, Site Merchandising, Marketing, and Operations to bring the assortment to life - moving product seamlessly from strategy to site to consumer. This is a highly executional role, requiring strong attention to detail, speed, and accountability.

HOW YOU'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Executes seasonal DTC contracts at SKU and size level with precision across units, cost, delivery timing, and market allocation; manages in-season adjustments including reflows, cancels, and delivery shifts. (DTC Contract Creation & Inventory Execution - 25%)
• Aligns inventory flow to seasonal storytelling moments, key product launches, and transition periods (e.g., winter to spring) to reduce aged inventory and ensure timely, on-need delivery.
• Reads and responds to consumer demand signals, product performance, and market-specific trends across Sell-Thru%, Weeks of Supply, Inventory Turn, and Revenue vs. Plan; recommends and executes rebuys, cancels, and flow adjustments in partnership with Merchandising leadership. (In-Season Optimization & Consumer Response - 25%)
• Generates a timely weekly business update rooted in proposed actions, and delivers post-season recaps aligned to GTM gates.
• Ensures product - including in-line and SMU styles - is live, discoverable, and accurately represented on site through bi-weekly site audits (US & Canada) validating data integrity, franchise visibility, and alignment to seasonal narrative; works in conjunction with the Site Merchandising specialist to identify and resolve missing product or inventory-to-site misalignment. (Digital Product Experience & Visibility - 10%)
• Partners with Merchandising to ensure strategy translates accurately into product decisions, and with Planning to validate alignment to OTB and financial guardrails; collaborates with Site Merchandising, Marketing, and Operations to ensure product is ready, activated, and supported. (Cross-Functional Partnership - 20%)
• Partners with Merchandising ahead of seasonal kickoff to pull pre-season data, attends select GTM meetings to build line knowledge, identifies assortment holes or opportunities, and builds an initial seasonal financial snapshot in concert with Merchandising. (Go To Market - 20%)

YOU ARE

• Data-driven and analytically fluent - comfortable manipulating data and applying retail math (open-to-buy, inventory turnover, sell-thru, weeks of supply, gross margin) to inform SKU- and size-level decisions.
• Has an eye for visual merchandising and a strong pulse on footwear trends, with the instinct to translate both into compelling on-site presentation.
• Adaptive to a changing business, willing to evolve process and lean on a forward-looking sales plan rather than historical precedent alone.
• Disciplined about reducing redundant work - partners with Planning and Site Merchandising rather than duplicating it.
• Accountable to deadlines, meeting DTC SOD timelines without exception and turning around requests same-day or same-week.
• A clear, proactive communicator who brings a formal, data-backed point of view to every recommendation without being asked.
• Well-versed in attention to detail, with excellent organizational and presentation skills.

YOU HAVE

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, or a related field, or equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Footwear buying experience, with a nuanced understanding of seasonal buying cycles and category-specific demand patterns.
• 8-10 years of experience in retail merchandise planning, buying, merchandising, or allocation, with direct DTC/Ecommerce buying experience.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, pivot tables, and Power Query for data manipulation and reporting
• Working knowledge of Power BI for building and maintaining sell-thru, inventory, and performance dashboards.
• Working knowledge of website analytics tools (e.g., GA4) and DTC/Ecommerce platforms.
• Advanced understanding of retail industry metrics, including open-to-buy, sell-thru, inventory turn, and weeks of supply.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present formal, data-backed recommendations to