Buyer I - Climb

Reports to: Buyer II, Sr. Buyer, Merchandising Manager, or Sr. Merchandising Manager
Location: Cottonwood Heights, Utah (Hybrid - 3x/week in-office)

About the Role

You own a real category at Backcountry — your brand portfolio, your seasonal assortment, your vendor relationships — and you execute with full accountability within a framework set by the senior team. As Buyer I, you will manage a focused portfolio of 10–20 brands and approximately 5,000–10,000 active SKUs, building seasonal assortments, negotiating vendor terms, and driving category productivity. At 6–12 months, success looks like a productive, well-managed category, vendor relationships you have built and can depend on, and a buying team that is stronger because of your direction.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Build seasonal assortments using historical sales data and vendor input; maintain a productive core assortment within an established category framework for a focused brand portfolio within a pre-set OTB
• Own existing vendor relationships; execute negotiations on seasonal terms, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members
• Create SKU/PO worksheets and build POs (Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation, Size/Color Breakout) under tight deadlines, ensuring accurate, on-time submission to vendors
• Collaborate with Marketing on promotional calendars; react quickly to promotional performance and execute visual merchandising direction from the senior team
• Monitor SKU and brand performance; manage re-orders (ASAPs) and order reductions (Edits); support exit strategies for slow movers in partnership with Planning
• Use AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar) to summarize performance data, draft content, streamline PO workflows, and accelerate decisions; validate outputs and apply them with judgment
• Provide task-level direction and development support to Associate and Assistant Buyers on day-to-day buying processes

Requirements

• Typically 1–4 years of buying or equivalent merchandising experience
• Firm understanding of retail math and buying fundamentals
• Strong analytical skills with developing negotiation capabilities
• Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail
• Outstanding time management skills; ability to prioritize competing tasks and initiatives
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; Excel proficiency required
• Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar); prompts effectively and validates outputs
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed

Why Join

• Team Impact: Provide direction and development support to Associate and Assistant Buyers, strengthening the team through your day-to-day leadership of buying processes.
• Skill Development: Build negotiation and vendor management skills under the guidance of one of the most experienced buying teams in outdoor e-commerce, with a defined path to Buyer II.
• Ownership: Own a real category from day one — not a support role, not a rotation, but a portfolio of brands and a seasonal assortment that is yours to run, with a direct line between your buying decisions and business outcomes.

Benefits

• Paid time off policies
• 401(k) match
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Variety of supplemental policies
• Employee discounts across our portfolio of brands