Join The Crew - Lead Buyer & Inventory Planner

Come join our pretty fun crew! We're always looking for hard-working, motivated talent to work alongside our team and grow our brand.  

Title: Lead Buyer & Inventory Planner

Location: In-Office, Chicago

Role Summary

Where products, planning, and performance meet.

We are seeking a highly strategic and analytical Lead Buyer & Inventory Planner to lead our merchandising, buying, and inventory planning functions. This role owns the full product lifecycle — from assortment planning and vendor strategy to in-season optimization, inventory flow, and sales performance — ensuring the business is stocked, balanced, and positioned for profitable growth. This role leads the buying and planning function and manages one direct report (Assistant Buyer), providing coaching, development, and oversight of daily execution. This is a cross-functional leadership role working closely with Buying, Planning, Marketing, Stores, and Operations.

Core Responsibilities

Buying, Assortment & Product Strategy

·       Build and manage seasonal assortment plans across vendor and in-house collections

·       Quantify and place buys for current and future seasons based on sales, trends, and business needs

·       Analyze prior season and collection performance to guide future buys, pricing, style counts, and depth

·       Lead in-season reorder strategy aligned with demand, sales performance, and Open-to-Buy (OTB)

Inventory Planning, OTB & Business Performance

·       Own inventory health including stock levels, sell-through, weeks of supply, and product flow

·       Manage OTB and provide weekly direction based on sales performance and business needs

·       Lead weekly business review covering sales vs plan, category performance, and inventory alignment

·       Identify risks and opportunities through ongoing analysis of product and category performance

Vendor Strategy, Pricing & Product Lifecycle

·       Own vendor performance, communication, and brand investment strategy

·       Manage vendor orders, deliveries, issue resolution, and returns

·       Develop and execute pricing and markdown strategies aligned with margin and inventory goals

·       Oversee product lifecycle from initial buy through markdown and exit strategy

Cross-Functional Execution & Leadership

·       Partner with Marketing on product launches, promotions, and collection timing

·       Direct product strategy for events, promotions, and warehouse sales

·       Oversee inventory flow between warehouse and stores to optimize sales and stock levels

·       Ensure accuracy across planning tools, reporting, and assortment execution across channels

·       Manage and develop one Assistant Buyer, providing direction, oversight, and coaching

What We’re Looking For

·       5+ years of experience in buying, merchandising, inventory planning, or merchandise strategy, preferably in a retail, fashion, or product-driven business.

·       Deep analytical mindset with ability to turn data into action

·       Proven ability managing OTB, inventory flow, and assortment strategy

·       Strong vendor and product management skills

·       Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on

·       Excellent communication across leadership, stores, and cross-functional teams

·       Experience in retail, fashion, or product-driven businesses preferred

Tools & Systems Proficiency

·        Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, forecasting, inventory modeling, data analysis)

·        Experience with Shopify Plus (product, inventory, reporting, collections, and merchandising management)

·        Familiarity with inventory planning and forecasting tools (e.g., Inventory Planner, NetSuite, or similar systems)

·        Strong comfort working with inventory management systems

·        Experience building and maintaining dashboards and reporting (Excel, BI tools, or similar)

·        Ability to manage large data sets and translate data into clear business decisions

Compensation

Full-time role, $85,000 to $100,000 annual salary (paid biweekly), with a quarterly bonus tied to the successful achievement of key performance metrics

Health benefits, paid time off, paid sick leave, and 401K

Generous employee discount

Interested?

Please email your resume to careers@aliceandwonder.com.