Sr. Buyer

Ulla Johnson; New York (NY); On-site; USD 117,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ulla Johnson, based in New York, is seeking a Sr. Buyer to own the assortment strategy across all DTC locations and divisions.

You will drive category growth by identifying market opportunities, building a full-price-focused product strategy, and partnering with Planning, Ecommerce, Wholesale, and stores to deliver the right product at the right time. You will present to executive teams, train frontline staff, and stay close to customers through store visits and selling meetings.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of buying or merchandising experience in retail or DTC.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in OTB and trend reporting.
• Proven ability to present to executive stakeholders and influence partners.
• Experience supporting new store openings, including inventory planning and staff training.
• Customer-centric mindset and ability to relay shopper insights to teams.
• Detail-oriented and organized with ability to manage multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain buys for all DTC locations and divisions.
• Propose strategic initiatives to drive growth and meet targets.
• Present buy selection and topline strategy to executive teams.
• Liaise across Planning, Ecommerce, Wholesale, and stores to align DTC initiatives.
• Drive assortment strategy with emphasis on full-price sell-through.
• Train frontline staff and ensure product knowledge across channels.
• Own OTB, hindsight reports, SKU plans, and trend reporting with Planning.
• Build relationships with stores and use feedback for assortment planning.
• Oversee inventory flow to stores including replenishment and RTVs.
• Create collection-focused presentations and digital launch plans with Marketing.

Skills

Buying experience

Analytical skills

Executive presentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Inventory planning

Customer focus

Relationship building

Attention to detail

Job description

Ulla Johnson is looking for a Sr. Buyer to join the team! We're looking for a customer-obsessed Buyer to own the assortment strategy across all of our DTC locations and divisions. In this role, you'll drive category growth by identifying market opportunities, building a full-price-focused product strategy, and partnering closely with Planning, Ecommerce, Wholesale, and our retail stores to bring the right product to the right customer at the right time. You'll be the connective tissue between merchandising strategy and store execution — presenting to executive teams, training frontline staff, and staying close to the customer through regular store visits and selling meetings. This is a highly cross-functional role for someone who loves the details of the buy as much as the story behind it.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and maintain buys for all DTC locations and divisions
• Propose strategic initiatives to drive category business and achieve growth targets
• Present buy selection and topline strategy to executive teams
• Liaise across departments to share DTC initiatives and create alignment
• Drive strategic assortment strategy with focus on full price sell thru
• Have a customer-centric mindset and champion our stores and clients in all business conversations
• Support DTC business by suggesting product-focused opportunities across channels
• Work closely with Planning partner to own OTB, create and distribute hindsight, sku plans and trend reporting for market
• Nurture corporate-retail store relationships and utilize feedback into future assortment planning
• Support and oversee inventory flow to stores, including replenishment, RTVS, new delivery distribution and customer requests
• Create collection-focused, inspiring presentations for store use. Train all FOH retail staff on collections, both in person and virtually. Support team with product knowledge seminars and any additional information that will assist in the selling ceremony
• Maintain close relationship with brick-and-mortar stores through weekly selling meetings and local store visits, quarterly regional store visits, etc.
• Create digital launch plans and collaborate with Ecomm team on marketing needs including launch timelines, advertising looks, email focus and design, etc
• Support campaign and extra asset shoots with necessary documentation and presentations
• Collaborate with Wholesale team for optimal inventory management, product selling and strategies
• Take the lead in merchandise initiatives around new store openings: inventory purchasing, planning, training
• Create deep dives and ad hoc reporting as necessary ie. Price point reporting, market research etc

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of buying or merchandising experience in retail or DTC, ideally within fashion, apparel, or a comparable category, with a track record of driving full-price sell-through and hitting growth targets
• Strong analytical skills with experience owning OTB, building hindsight and trend reporting, and translating data into actionable assortment decisions
• Proven ability to present confidently to executive stakeholders and influence cross-functional partners across Planning, Ecommerce, and Wholesale
• Experience supporting new store openings, including inventory planning, purchasing, and staff training
• Comfortable managing inventory flow end-to-end — replenishment, RTVs, distribution, and store-level requests
• A genuinely customer-centric mindset — someone who thinks like a shopper and a store associate, not just a spreadsheet
• Strong communicator and natural relationship-builder, equally comfortable in a boardroom and on a store floor
• Detail-oriented and organized, able to juggle ad hoc reporting, deep dives, and day-to-day buy management without dropping the thread
• A collaborative, no-ego approach to working across departments and building alignment
• Energized by both the strategic and the hands-on — from topline strategy decks to training FOH staff on a new collection

Salary Range: $117,000- $130,000

Born and raised in Manhattan, the daughter of archaeologists, Ulla Johnson honed her signature style between the streets of New York and the far-flung destinations of their family travels. Her eponymous line, founded in 1998 just after her graduation from university, immediately caught the attention of the fashion press. Growing from a handful of directional boutiques and with an early endorsement from Barneys New York, Ulla Johnson’s collection has gained a dedicated following and the support of retailers across the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia. She has never wavered on her steadfast attention to the details of construction that have become her hallmark, basing each of her collections on a foundation of natural fibers, beautiful finishing, and ease of fit and form. Ulla lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children.