Director of Ecommerce Buying & Planning
'47
On-site
Massachusetts, United States
Director
Director of Ecommerce Buying & Planning
We’re seeking a strategic and visionary Director of Ecommerce Buying & Planning to lead our Ecommerce buying and planning functions. In this highly collaborative role, you’ll report to the VP of Ecommerce, and lead a team of Buyers and Planners, driving the intersection of product strategy and merchandising, customer insights, and financial goals. You’ll also act as a key cross-functional leader, partnering closely with Product, Marketing, Site Experience, Finance, and Supply Chain to deliver a cohesive and high-performing digital product strategy for our ecommerce channel.
Key Responsibilities:
Assortment Strategy & Merchandising
- Own the strategic vision for the ecommerce product assortment, ensuring it reflects brand strategy, customer behavior, trend insights, and financial goals.
- Lead seasonal and in-season line architecture and buy strategy to deliver a conversion-driving, profitable assortment across key categories.
- Balance newness, core product, carry-over, pricing architecture, and margin performance using a data-informed, brand-right lens.
- Define the role of categories, product types, and exclusives within the assortment to support growth and strengthen brand positioning.
Buying & Planning Leadership
- Lead the ecommerce buying and planning functions, managing a team of 3 Buyers and 2 Planners with full accountability for merchandising strategy, product performance, inventory productivity, and financial outcomes.
- Set the strategy for OTB, inventory flow, markdown cadence, and forecasting — ensuring alignment with topline goals, margin targets, and merchandising priorities.
- Own key inventory KPIs including sell-through, turn, aging, and margin contribution; proactively manage risk and capitalize on growth opportunities through data-driven investment decisions.
- Partner with Finance to translate financial goals into actionable merchandise and inventory plans, and work closely with the Senior Planning Manager to execute demand strategies and maintain accurate forecasts.
- Lead ecommerce inputs into the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, ensuring demand signals, supply readiness, and ecommerce priorities are fully embedded in cross-functional planning.
- Build scalable processes, tools, and team structures that enable growth, agility, and operational excellence across the merchandising organization.
Cross-Functional Product Collaboration
- Act as the ecommerce voice in the product creation process, partnering closely with the Product team — influencing seasonal line plans, category priorities, and product mix based on ecommerce performance, trend, and customer demand.
- Guide seasonal investment strategies, surface assortment gaps, and share emerging sales trends on site to help guide upstream product decisions.
- Attend product line reviews and development milestones to ensure ecommerce merchandising needs are embedded in product creation.
- Collaborate with Marketing and Site Experience teams to align on product stories, seasonal campaigns, and launch strategies.
- Partner closely with the Director of Site Experience to ensure your merchandising strategies translate effectively on site, while clearly owning the product mix, assortment architecture, and buy strategies.
Operational Excellence
- Build scalable merchandising and planning processes that support growth and operational efficiency.
- Collaborate with Supply Chain and Ops partners to ensure on-time delivery and readiness for product launches.
- Continuously improve ways of working across planning, buying, and cross-functional teams to drive alignment and speed to market.
Qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, and/or planning
- 2-3 years prior Director level experience preferred
- Demonstrated ability to lead large seasonal buys, manage OTB, and deliver against margin, turn, and sell-through KPIs in a fast-paced retail or DTC environment.
- Deep understanding of retail math, inventory forecasting, and product lifecycle management
- Strong team leadership skills and ability to inspire and develop cross-functional relationships.
- Strategic, data-driven mindset paired with a deep passion for product and trend.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills; able to navigate and influence across multiple functions.
- Background in apparel, lifestyle, or consumer goods industries.