About the Opportunity
This is an opportunity to step into a true leadership role at a brand with strong momentum, direct access to the Founder, and real influence over where the product and business go next.
Framework Fashion [frameworkfashion.com] is conducting a confidential search on behalf of our client - a highly successful contemporary apparel brand headquartered in Los Angeles, with a strong presence across men's and women's, wholesale and DTC. The company is fast-moving, hands-on, and scaling. Company details will be shared with qualified candidates as the process progresses.
The Role
We're looking for a Head of Merchandising & Buying to lead the merchandising function and shape the product strategy across men's and women's. This is a highly visible role reporting directly to the Founder, with close, ongoing partnerships with the VP of Design and VP of Sales to align product, creative, and commercial strategy. Depending on the candidate, this role can be structured at the Director or VP level. This is a traditional merchandising and buying leadership role - line planning, assortment strategy, open-to-buy, seasonal strategy, and cross-functional alignment from concept through sell-in and in-season management. You'll manage a team of 2, and you'll be expected to be in the details as much as the strategy. This role requires genuine, equal fluency across both DTC and wholesale channels. You'll also need to bring equal fluency in creative and commercial thinking: someone who can hold a strong point of view on product while backing every decision with a balance of data and creative, forward thinking.
What You'll DoStrategy & Leadership
- Own seasonal merchandising strategy and assortment architecture, balancing brand vision with commercial performance
- Partner directly with the Founder on product direction and long-term brand strategy
- Work hand-in-hand with the VP of Design to translate creative vision into an innovative, well-balanced line - grounded in data, financial rigor, and creative instinct
- Align closely with Planning and the VP of Sales on assortment, pricing, and go-to-market strategy across wholesale and DTC channels
- Represent merchandising in cross-functional leadership conversations, balancing a point of view with genuine collaboration
- Lead, develop, and mentor a team of 2 direct reports; build out process and structure where needed without over-engineering a fast-moving, founder-led environment
Buying & Financial Planning
- Own open-to-buy for all categories, managing seasonal budgets by category, channel, and door
- Build and manage seasonal financial plans (sales, margin, markdown, inventory turn) in partnership with Planning and Finance
- Set and manage pricing strategy and target margins by category
- Own the buy calendar and critical path, ensuring on-time seasonal deliverables across the org
- Ensure line plans are finalized and actionable on schedule, with clear ownership from concept through sell-in
Assortment & Line Planning
- Build seasonal assortment plans by category, channel (wholesale vs. DTC), and door tier with equal attention on both channels
- Translate design concepts into a balanced, commercially viable line - right style count, price architecture, and category mix
- Lead seasonal line reviews and sell-in presentations for the sales team and key wholesale accounts, ensuring the line is fully understood and adopted by Sales ahead of market
- Partner with design on curating the line at critical points in each season
In-Season Management
- Monitor sell-through and weekly/monthly performance by style, category, and channel; drive in-season reads and re-forecasts
- Manage reorders, chase units, and markdown strategy based on in-season performance
- Own inventory allocation strategy across DTC and wholesale channels
- Track and report on KPIs (sell-through, turn, margin, ST%) to Founder and leadership, ensuring data integrity and accuracy in all reporting
Market & Trend
- Conduct market and competitive research to inform seasonal direction and identify white space
- Attend market trips and trade shows as needed to source trend and vendor opportunities
Vendor & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Partner with production/planning on delivery timelines, minimums, and capacity planning
- Align with Design and PD on cost and margin throughout development
- Coordinate with Sales on account-specific needs, SMUs, and exclusives where applicable
- Build genuine wholesale account fluency - understanding account-level needs
What We're Looking For
- Genuine, equal fluency in both DTC and wholesale channels - proven experience building assortments and strategy that serve both effectively
- Proven merchandising and buying leadership experience at a contemporary apparel brand, ideally with both men's and women's category experience
- A track record of building or scaling a merchandising function or category
- Strong financial acumen - comfortable owning OTB planning, and P&L-level thinking, with a demonstrated ability to back creative decisions with data and analysis
- A dynamic, roll-up-your-sleeves operator who can move fast and adapt in a founder-led, design-led environment
- A confident collaborator, and a partner in business - someone who can hold a strong point of view, partner well across Design and Sales, and work as part of a team
- Even-keeled and professional under pressure
- Experience managing and developing teams
- Excellent cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to build trust and buy-in quickly at the leadership level, including with Sales
Compensation
Annual pay for this position will range from $150,000 to $210,000 per year, depending on relevant experience as compared to the job requirements as outlined herein.
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Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
By applying to this position, you acknowledge that your application data will be processed by Framework Fashion in accordance with our Privacy Policy [https://www.frameworkfashion.com/privacy-policy] and may be shared with the confidential client for hiring purposes.
Pay: $150,000.00 - $210,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Los Angeles County, CA
