Buyer - Womens Shoes

Buyer - Women's Shoes at Rainbow Apparel Co Buyer - Women's Shoes at Rainbow Apparel Co in Jamaica, New York Posted in 3 days ago.

Type:

full-time

Job Description:

Rainbow USA is one of the fastest-growing juniors, kids, plus, and petite specialty apparel chains in the country. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, Rainbow is a fashion-forward, value-driven retailer serving style-conscious customers ages 14-49. Position Summary The Buyer - Women's Shoes is responsible for developing and executing the footwear assortment strategy across Rainbow's nationwide store fleet. This role owns the selection, purchasing, and performance of women's shoes-ensuring assortments are fashion-forward, commercially viable, and aligned with Rainbow's value-focused customer. The ideal candidate brings a strong eye for footwear trends, deep vendor relationships, solid retail math skills, and the ability to make decisive, profitable buys in a high-volume environment. Primary Responsibilities Research and analyze women's footwear trends, silhouettes, materials, heel heights, colors, and price points relevant to Rainbow's customer. Develop and manage seasonal assortments across key shoe categories (e.g., dress, casual, sandals, boots, athleisure, flats, heels). Select and purchase styles, depths, and size ranges that drive sales volume while maintaining margin and inventory efficiency. Negotiate cost, terms, delivery schedules, minimums, and quality standards with domestic and international footwear vendors. Manage open-to-buy (OTB) plans; monitor inventory levels and react to sales trends through reorders, chase programs, or cancellations as needed. Analyze post-buy performance using sell-through, turn, GMROI, markdown effectiveness, and store-level feedback. Partner closely with Planning, Allocation, Visual Merchandising, and Store Operations to ensure strong in-store execution and sell-down. Maintain and grow vendor relationships; attend footwear markets, trade shows, and trend reviews as needed. Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and long-term growth planning for the Women's Shoes category. Support new store openings, special footwear initiatives, and company growth projects. Qualifications & Requirements Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, Retail Management, or related field (or equivalent experience). 3-5+ years of buying experience, with a strong preference for women's footwear or accessories buying. Demonstrated proficiency in retail math, including markup, margin planning, OTB management, sell-through, turn, and GMROI. Strong understanding of value-driven, fashion-forward footwear for high-volume retail environments. Proven vendor negotiation skills and experience managing multiple suppliers. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with merchandising and planning systems preferred. Strong analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills with the ability to work under tight deadlines. Excellent communication and collaboration skills. Flexible, proactive, team-oriented mindset with the ability to adapt quickly to changing trends and priorities. Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus. Willingness to travel for market visits, vendor meetings, or trade shows as needed. Position Details & Benefits This is a full-time position, Monday & Friday based at Rainbow's corporate headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, Tuesday - Thursday in the Garment District .

Benefits include:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) with company match Paid vacation and holidays Employee merchandise discount Free on-site parking Full in-house gym Long-term stability with a growing retailer Rainbow offers a competitive salary based on experience and market conditions, with potential performance-based bonuses tied to category results.