Ralph Lauren Buyer

Company 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.

Position Overview

The prospective candidate will oversee the RRL buying across both DTC and WHSL Channels. 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.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Assortment Strategy and Product Selection: Synthesise, evaluate, and summarize performance analysis on a seasonal basis. Build and develop a strong understanding of the RRL customer, through regular competitor shops, store visits and wider market read. 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 department manager and Wholesale Director, to ensure respective areas work within the wider context of 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 categories is optimised yet achievable. Project unit requirements that will deliver the financial framework and balance such KPIs (intake margin, buy cost/units, AIR, gross margin, sales revenue/units, AUR, sell-through). Trade all 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 junior members of the wider team, utilizing your leadership skills to enhance the full team. Work closely across the wider Menswear teams to maintain a strong X Brand, 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.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

• 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.