Job Description
Manager – Buying & Merchandising
Position
Manager – Buying & Merchandising
Department
Buying & Merchandising
Location
Gurugram / Corporate Office
Reports To
Head – Buying & Merchandising
Purpose of the Role
The Manager – Buying & Merchandising will be responsible for managing the end-to-end buying and merchandising process for the assigned category, ensuring the right product assortment is developed and sourced in line with the brand’s customer profile, design direction, commercial objectives and business plans.
The role will work closely with Design, Sourcing, Planning, Production, Vendors and other cross-functional teams to ensure timely product development, effective costing, order execution and delivery.
Key Responsibilities
1. Buying & Category Management
- Manage the buying process for assigned categories from product conceptualisation to final order placement.
- Develop product assortments based on customer preferences, market trends, historical performance and business requirements.
- Analyse category performance and identify opportunities for growth, newness and improvement.
- Ensure the right mix of products, price points, colours, fabrics, silhouettes and options within the category.
- Track category-wise sales, margins, sell-through, stock and inventory performance.
- Work towards achieving category sales, margin and profitability targets.
2. Merchandising
- Coordinate with the Design team to translate design concepts into commercially viable products.
- Manage the product development calendar and ensure timely execution of all developments.
- Coordinate with vendors and sourcing teams for sampling, costing, approvals and production.
- Follow up on T&A;, order placement, production and delivery timelines.
- Ensure products are developed and delivered as per the agreed quality, cost and timeline requirements.
- Identify and resolve product development and execution issues proactively.
3. Vendor & Supplier Management
- Identify and develop suitable vendors based on product, quality, capacity and commercial requirements.
- Maintain strong working relationships with vendors and suppliers.
- Negotiate costs, MOQ, lead times and other commercial terms.
- Evaluate vendor performance on quality, delivery, responsiveness and commercial effectiveness.
- Work with sourcing teams to ensure optimum vendor allocation and capacity utilisation.
4. Commercial & Cost Management
- Drive product costing and ensure products are developed within target cost.
- Negotiate with vendors to achieve competitive pricing without compromising product quality.
- Monitor margins and ensure buying decisions are aligned with business profitability.
- Analyse price architecture and ensure the assortment is commercially viable.
5. Market & Trend Analysis
- Track market trends, customer preferences, competitor activity and emerging product opportunities.
- Conduct regular market and competitor analysis to identify relevant trends and commercial opportunities.
- Provide inputs to the Design and Product teams based on market and customer insights.
- Keep abreast of developments in fabrics, techniques, silhouettes, colours and product categories relevant to the brand.
6. Cross-Functional Coordination
- Work closely with Design, Planning, Sourcing, Production, Quality and Retail teams.
- Ensure clear communication and timely decision-making across functions.
- Coordinate with Planning teams to understand category requirements, inventory positions and future demand.
- Ensure alignment between product development, buying decisions and business plans.
Key Result Areas
- Achievement of category sales and margin targets.
- Effective product assortment and range building.
- Timely completion of product development and order placement.
- Cost optimisation and margin improvement.
- Vendor performance and relationship management.
- On-time delivery and execution.
- Product sell-through and inventory efficiency.
- Successful introduction of recent products and commercial opportunities.
Candidate Profile
- Graduate/Post Graduate in Fashion, Apparel, Textile, Merchandising, Retail Management or a related field.
- 6–10 years of relevant experience in Buying, Merchandising, Product Development or Category Management, preferably in fashion/apparel retail.
- Strong understanding of women's wear/fashion categories and the retail business.
- Strong understanding of product costing, margins, vendor management and commercial negotiations.
- Good understanding of category numbers, sales performance, inventory and sell-through.
- Strong analytical skills with good command of MS Excel.
- Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple categories, developments and timelines simultaneously.
- Commercially driven with a strong understanding of customer and market requirements.
Key Competencies
- Buying & Category Management
- Product & Merchandise Planning
- Commercial Acumen
- Vendor Management
- Negotiation Skills
- Market & Trend Understanding
- Data Analysis
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Decision Making
- Communication & Stakeholder Management
- Ownership & Execution
📌 Buying & Merchandising Manager (India)
🏢 BIBA
📍 India