Job Description

NOTE: This position is located at Nordstrom's downtown Seattle headquarters and follows a hybrid work model, with four days in the office and one remote workday each week.

We don’t just sell cutting‑edge fashion and accessories — we create them. Our talented fashion design team, the Nordstrom Product Group (NPG), develops, designs, produces, and sources all Nordstrom‑brand products. From traditional to trendy, this team shapes the styles and looks our customers love. And now, we have an exciting opportunity for a Buyer to join this team.

The Vertical Buyer is positioned within the Merchandising Team in NPG - the Nordstrom Product Group. This team is responsible for maintaining, growing, and enhancing the positioning of NPG brands through the development of short and long-term strategic direction. As the Vertical Buyer, you will align your strategies with the Merchandising Director to drive the vision for Women's Apparel. You will lead development and buying of trend-right product that helps build brand love with our customers, and you will partner with Design to own the entire assortment including early ideation and strategy building, line planning, finalizing assortments by cluster, and managing the product lifecycle (allocation, promotion and price management, Racking).

A day in the life…

• Leverage marketplace insights, consumer trends, and sales data to drive the strategic vision for the AOR and create a seasonal line plan that establishes item, price, and unit expectations needed to meet or exceed financial targets. Assort the seasonal collection to ensure that product matches key themes and big ideas in each cluster.
• Partner with Assortment Planners on product quantification. Develop deep multi-channel expertise for product allocation across store clusters and online channels.
• Research, identify, and quantify the size of the prize for new big ideas and products, seeking inspiration from aspirational brands to incorporate into seasonal strategies. Partner with design and product development to bring them to life in the final assortment.
• Be an expert in customer macro trends, including shifts in consumer behavior and style elements (fabric, print, pattern, color), to identify opportunities to capitalize on trends aligned to the brand positioning.
• Analyze in-season business and quickly move from data to insights to execute optimizations whether for short-term (chase, cancellations, markdowns) opportunities or long-term (future development) applications. Manage the Open-To-Buy and rebalance across key areas as needed.
• Provide feedback and foster construction conversations with cross-functional teams and/or vendors to ensure designed and developed products meet or exceeds the strategic vision.
• Prepare for and facilitate key internal meetings to build the seasonal assortment. Partner closely with design, sourcing, and planning partners to ensure the vision and strategy is successfully executed in the final assortment. Own the perspective on key item investments, digital growth perspective, and replenishment recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Nordstrom Merchandise Group (NMG) to deliver cohesive storytelling and assortments for the customer through sharing NPG key strategies, concept overviews, and big investments prior to domestic market.
• Partner with Assortment and Financial planning teams to ensure financial plans and quantification support the strategies. Maintain inventory discipline while owning the delivery of key financial results (Sales, Turn, and Margin).
• Drive accountability across teams to deliver to the financial targets throughout the product lifecycle. Ensure all analysis of business results define the root cause of success or risk. Hold direct reports accountable to provide meaningful insights that can drive action plans.
• Coach associate and assistant product merchandisers through consistent and timely feedback to support developmental growth in both current role and future ambitions.
• Hold direct reports accountable for managing the Time and Action calendar. Ensure status updates are provided regularly. Anticipate issues and proactively lead team to solutions.
• Provide clear direction to the team with defined priorities, educates and empowers direct reports and acts as a leader amongst peers when working cross functionally.

You own this if you have:

• 4+ years' experience in merchandising, buying or DTC assortment strategies.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite.
• Experience in retail/fashion industry preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Ability to travel domestic (Limited)

We’ve got you covered…

Our employees are our most important asset and that’s reflected in our benefits. Nordstrom is proud to offer a variety of benefits to support employees and their families, including:

• Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement and Paid Time Away

• Life Insurance and Disability

• Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources

A few more important points...

The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive. There may be additional duties, responsibilities and qualifications for this job.

For Los Angeles or San Francisco applicants: Nordstrom is required to inform you that we conduct background checks after conditional offer and consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with legal requirements per Los Angeles, Cal. Muni. Code 189.04 and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For additional state and location specific notices, please refer to the Legal Notices document within the FAQ section of the Nordstrom Careers site.

Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation should contact the nearest Nordstrom location, which can be identified at www.nordstrom.com.

Please be mindful that there may be legal notices and requirements related to this job posting that are specific to your state. Review the Career Site FAQ’s for relevant information and guidelines.

© 2022 Nordstrom, Inc

Current Nordstrom employees: To apply, log into Workday, click the Careers button and then click Find Jobs.

Nordstrom keeps job postings open for at least one day after the posting date.

Pay Range Details

The pay range(s) below has been provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different for other locations.
Pay offers are dependent on the location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

$110,500.00 - $183,000.00 Annual

This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses. Benefits include 401k, medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance options, PTO accruals, Holidays, and more. Eligibility requirements may apply based on location, job level, classification, and length of employment. Learn more in the Nordstrom Benefits Overview by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser: https://careers.nordstrom.com/pdfs/Ben_Overview_17-19.pdf