Associate Buyer MW

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
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Associate/Assistant buyer to join the Menswear Outlet team. The role is a key support to the Merchandising team in executing seasonal and yearly strategies to grow the brand thru product selection, pricing, competitor benchmarking, and teamwork.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

* Own end to end process of product selecting market relevant and financially viable ranges that link back to a financial target.
* Strong product acumen on the brand's vision and future development of business.
* Assort, price, and forecast the line on a seasonal basis.
* Market awareness for both Full Price and Outlet arena in terms of competitors, trends, and brand opportunities.
* Couple buying/merchandising decisions with key financial components to drive growth & market share.
* Ability to present is key during trade, buy sign off and to management.
* Analyse business results in preparation for seasonal buy. Develop the ability to draw top line conclusions and actions from analysis.
* Demonstrate and communicate awareness of retail landscape; conduct research on competitive set including pricing, style, and key messages and translate findings into actions.
* Support to prepare all necessary documents and resources for major calendar meetings, including Hindsight, Buy Review and Sign Off.
* Ability to produce and analyse reports to support key buy & trading decisions.
* Build relationships with cross-functional partners across Planning, Corporate Merchandising, Operations, and Creative to ensure the department critical path is maintained to the highest standard. Be open to new ways of working and collaboration.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

* Highly organized whilst maintaining attention to detail and accuracy
* Ability to manage timelines and juggle priorities
* A strong team player with a results-driven attitude
* Passionate approach whilst being ambitious & career driven
* Strong analytical skills
* Awareness of product trends and current state of market
* Resilient with an agile & resourceful mindset, able to over-come challenges by focusing on solutions · Contribute to brand elevation both on qualitative and quantitative point of view
* Advanced computer skills and knowledge of Excel, Word and PowerPoint
* Effective communication skills at all levels, both written and spoken · 2+ years work experience as Buying Assistant or similar role