Ralph Lauren Associate buyer

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 a permanent position supporting our LAUREN Wholesale Buying & Planning Team with operations to establish the optimum commercial cross channel assortment for the EMEA region, whilst maximizing the financial plan and respecting the category/brand objectives and direction.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Individual accountabilities
* Assort, price and forecast the line
* Maintain the line in the IT system
* Order & track samples orders
* Track key business performance KPIs weekly
* Benchmark decisions against competition & broader market landscape
* Prepare & present the assortment at line opening meeting Shared accountabilities
* Define seasonal assortment needs upfront & share with Global Merchandising teams
* Contribute to brand elevation both on qualitative and quantitative point of view
* Develop seasonal product assortment strategies that align with planning sales targets, SKU counts, productivity and product trends
* Participate/initiate business development projects

Experience, Skills & Knowledge
Experience, Skills & Knowledge:
* High proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
* Strong analytical skills and retail math comprehension
* Effective cross-functional communication and presentation skills
* Decision making capability clearly driven by conceptualizing future opportunities and developing strategic product and business initiatives
* Creative, assertive and solution-oriented when faced with difficult business performance and/or challenging directives from the Buyer and Planner
* prioritize and direct multiple activities
* Highly organized and detail-oriented
* Experienced 4 Seasonal Buying cycles
* Fluent in English, additional languages are a plus
* Concrete passion for Diversity & Inclusion values
* Excitement about team work and straight talk Stretch Skills/Qualities:
* Multi-category and multi-channel experience
* Work independently of the Buyer
* Effective leadership and team building skills, including the ability to motivate, negotiate and influence effectively across departments and divisions
* Consistently make confident and independent recommendations and accept accountability for achieving business goals
* Establish, nurture and utilize internal and external partners to drive the business
* Develop a culture and an environment that fosters respect for the ideas of others and supports ongoing collaboration to execute business strategy