Director of Buying
About The Role
Nili Lotan is seeking a Director of Buying to lead the strategic product assortment for its Direct-to-Consumer channels. This key role will drive sales, profitability, and brand growth by collaborating with leadership and cross-functional teams to shape product vision, respond to market trends, and anticipate customer needs. The ideal candidate brings strong financial acumen, strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of market dynamics to achieve revenue and profitability targets.
Responsibilities
- Define and implement the buying strategy, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and brand ethos.
- Develop seasonal buying frameworks based on data-driven insights, customer feedback, and trend analysis.
- Partner with the leadership team to forecast and plan for long-term growth opportunities across categories.
- Curate an elevated product assortment that balances innovation and core offerings, ensuring alignment with brand identity and customer expectations.
- Ensure the assortment reflects an optimal mix of silhouettes, fabrics, patterns, colors, and price points.
- Own financial accountability for, Initial Markup (IMU), Gross Margin, and Sell-Through performance.
- Conduct in-depth weekly and monthly sales, stock, and on-order analyses to optimize revenue and minimize markdowns.
- Identify opportunities in-season for fast moving products and work with production to assess whether recorders are suitable.
- Leverage customer insights and market trends to inform buying decisions and category strategies.
- Serve as a strategic partner to e-commerce and retail teams, ensuring seamless integration of buying strategies across channels.
- Collaborate with design, merchandising, and marketing teams to align product strategies with brand storytelling and seasonal campaigns.
- Deliver regular updates and presentations to the leadership team, providing actionable recommendations backed by data and market expertise.
- Establish and implement training materials and seasonal marketing tools for retail teams to enhance product knowledge and sales performance.
- Support and develop the Associate Buyer, fostering their growth and ensuring alignment with team objectives.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising preferred.
- 7-10 years experience in buying preferred, preferably with a luxury brand.
- Strong retail math, analysis & financial planning skills.
- Motivated and able to work well independently, as well as an effective member of a team.
- Experience working with a creative founder highly preferred.
Personal and Professional Must-Have Qualities
- Self-Motivated
- Resourceful and Intuitive Leader
- Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Detail-Oriented and Highly Organized
- Collaborative Work Ethic
- Solution-Oriented and Proactive Problem Solver
About Us
Nili Lotan is a highly acclaimed ready-to-wear designer based in New York City. A mother of three, she lives in Tribeca with her husband, singer songwriter, David Broza. After graduating from Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv, Lotan moved to New York where she led design for some of the industry’s most respected names including Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and Nautica. Lotan launched her eponymous brand in 2003, grounded in the belief that a wardrobe should function as an extension of oneself. Her philosophy is that clothes should be clean, sophisticated and functional, offering elements for self-expression. Lotan’s design process is highly intuitive. She is inspired by women with a strong sense of personal style, and draws from art, music and rock n’ roll to design her collection. By designing pieces she herself wants to wear, Lotan’s collection instinctively resonate with a woman’s lifestyle.
About The Role
Nili Lotan is seeking a Director of Buying to lead the strategic product assortment for its Direct-to-Consumer channels. This key role will drive sales, profitability, and brand growth by collaborating with leadership and cross-functional teams to shape product vision, respond to market trends, and anticipate customer needs. The ideal candidate brings strong financial acumen, strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of market dynamics to achieve revenue and profitability targets.
Responsibilities
- Define and implement the buying strategy, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and brand ethos.
- Develop seasonal buying frameworks based on data-driven insights, customer feedback, and trend analysis.
- Partner with the leadership team to forecast and plan for long-term growth opportunities across categories.
- Curate an elevated product assortment that balances innovation and core offerings, ensuring alignment with brand identity and customer expectations.
- Ensure the assortment reflects an optimal mix of silhouettes, fabrics, patterns, colors, and price points.
- Own financial accountability for, Initial Markup (IMU), Gross Margin, and Sell-Through performance.
- Conduct in-depth weekly and monthly sales, stock, and on-order analyses to optimize revenue and minimize markdowns.
- Identify opportunities in-season for fast moving products and work with production to assess whether recorders are suitable.
- Leverage customer insights and market trends to inform buying decisions and category strategies.
- Serve as a strategic partner to e-commerce and retail teams, ensuring seamless integration of buying strategies across channels.
- Collaborate with design, merchandising, and marketing teams to align product strategies with brand storytelling and seasonal campaigns.
- Deliver regular updates and presentations to the leadership team, providing actionable recommendations backed by data and market expertise.
- Establish and implement training materials and seasonal marketing tools for retail teams to enhance product knowledge and sales performance.
- Support and develop the Associate Buyer, fostering their growth and ensuring alignment with team objectives.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising preferred.
- 7-10 years experience in buying preferred, preferably with a luxury brand.
- Strong retail math, analysis & financial planning skills.
- Motivated and able to work well independently, as well as an effective member of a team.
- Experience working with a creative founder highly preferred.
Personal and Professional Must-Have Qualities
- Self-Motivated
- Resourceful and Intuitive Leader
- Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Detail-Oriented and Highly Organized
- Collaborative Work Ethic
- Solution-Oriented and Proactive Problem Solver
About Us
Nili Lotan is a highly acclaimed ready-to-wear designer based in New York City. A mother of three, she lives in Tribeca with her husband, singer songwriter, David Broza. After graduating from Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv, Lotan moved to New York where she led design for some of the industry’s most respected names including Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and Nautica. Lotan launched her eponymous brand in 2003, grounded in the belief that a wardrobe should function as an extension of oneself. Her philosophy is that clothes should be clean, sophisticated and functional, offering elements for self-expression. Lotan’s design process is highly intuitive. She is inspired by women with a strong sense of personal style, and draws from art, music and rock n’ roll to design her collection. By designing pieces she herself wants to wear, Lotan’s collection instinctively resonate with a woman’s lifestyle.