Position Title: Associate Buyer
Status: Full-Time; Exempt
Reports To: Buying Manager
Role Location: Remote
Who We Are:
At Three Bird Nest, we are looking for people with a strong work ethic who are motivated to be part of a hardworking and dedicated team. Three Bird Nest's mission is "To inspire you to discover and express your authentic self through style." We look to our team to help us drive our mission and bring our customers a brand they can resonate with, from the Boho styles we select, the way we package and ship out our product, and the customer experience we provide. Each department has a hand in who we are as a company. We strive to have a workplace that lives our company's core values of being authentic, providing our customers with a boutique experience, creating a sense of community, and encouraging creativity. If you are looking for a company focused on building an engaging and team-oriented culture, Three Bird Nest might be the place for you.
Position Summary:
The Associate Buyer owns and manages a defined group of product categories for Three Bird Nest, taking responsibility for the assortment, vendor relationships, purchasing, and ongoing performance of those categories. This role independently manages the day-to-day buying process within assigned categories while partnering closely with the Buying Manager on broader department strategy and supporting the management of all additional categories across the Wholesale business.
The Associate Buyer is responsible for understanding customer needs, identifying product opportunities, developing and maintaining vendor relationships, evaluating product performance, and making data-informed recommendations and buying decisions within their assigned categories. The role combines commercial ownership, analytical thinking, vendor management, tactical support, and strong execution to build profitable assortments that align with the Three Bird Nest customer and overall brand strategy.
This is a full-time role for someone building a career in buying and merchandising who is ready to take meaningful ownership of categories while continuing to develop broader buying expertise. Success in this role requires strong judgment, initiative, analytical ability, organization, and the ability to independently manage multiple priorities while collaborating closely with the Buying Manager and cross-functional partners.
Roles & Responsibilities:
Category Ownership & Buying
- Own the day-to-day buying and merchandising strategy for assigned categories, with accountability for assortment quality, product performance, inventory health, and sales results.
- Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the Three Bird Nest customer, including customer preferences, trends, competitive activity, and opportunities for assortment expansion.
- Independently identify new product opportunities and make recommendations for assortment additions, product extensions, colors, styles, and depth of buy within assigned categories.
- Plan and manage assortments for seasonal launches, balancing customer demand, trends, product productivity, pricing, inventory considerations, and overall category objectives.
- Evaluate sales and inventory performance and adjust future buying decisions based on business results.
- Identify category opportunities and risks throughout the season and proactively recommend actions to capitalize on opportunities or mitigate risk.
- Take ownership of category-level performance and communicate key business insights, opportunities, and challenges to the Buying Manager.
- Support broader assortment planning and buying strategy across categories in partnership with the Buying Manager.
Vendor Management & Product Acquisition
- Own day-to-day relationships with all vendors and serve as a primary point of contact for product selection, acquisition, pricing, and order management.
- Identify and evaluate potential new vendors and products that align with the Three Bird Nest customer, brand, and category strategy.
- Negotiate and communicate with vendors regarding product opportunities, pricing, availability, development, and timing.
- Work with vendors to expand successful products through new colors, styles, variations, and assortment breadth.
- Manage the product acquisition process for assigned categories from initial opportunity through launch.
- Partner with the Buying Manager on key vendor relationships, negotiations, and strategic product opportunities across the broader business.
Product Analytics & Business Management
- Analyze sales, inventory, pricing, product attributes, and other relevant performance data to inform buying and assortment decisions.
- Translate business and customer insights into actionable recommendations for current and future assortments.
- Monitor category performance against sales and inventory expectations and proactively identify areas requiring action.
- Use historical performance and current business trends to inform product selection, quantities, timing, and assortment decisions.
- Maintain a strong understanding of category economics and the factors that drive product productivity and profitability.
- Ensure product, vendor, and order information is accurate and current within company systems.
Purchasing & Product Lifecycle Management
- Own purchasing and order placement for assigned categories, ensuring buys align with assortment strategy, demand, inventory objectives, and launch timing.
- Oversee purchase orders and manage post-PO communication, scheduling, and follow-up with vendors.
- Monitor product development and launch timelines and proactively address issues that could impact product availability or launch dates.
- Partner with Inventory Planning and Procurement to manage inventory flow and ensure products arrive in line with business needs.
- Review existing product performance and make recommendations regarding reorder opportunities, product extensions, assortment changes, and product exits.
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Partner with Marketing, Creative, Site, Ecommerce, Inventory Planning, Procurement, and other teams to bring category assortments to market successfully.
- Provide product and category insights to support marketing, site merchandising, creative, and promotional initiatives.
- Communicate upcoming product launches, category priorities, risks, and opportunities to relevant cross-functional partners.
- Collaborate with the Buying Manager to ensure category decisions support the broader Three Bird Nest assortment and company strategy.
Partnership with the Buying Manager
- Independently manage assigned categories while partnering closely with the Buying Manager on overall buying strategy and business priorities.
- Support the Buying Manager across categories outside of the Associate Buyer’s direct ownership, including assortment development, trend research, vendor opportunities, product setup, business analysis, and special projects.
- Bring forward recommendations, ideas, risks, and opportunities proactively rather than waiting for direction.
- Provide category-level insights and recommendations that contribute to broader department strategy and decision-making.
- Partner with the Buying Manager on major seasonal initiatives, strategic vendor opportunities, and cross-category projects.
- Serve as a collaborative resource to the broader Buying & Merchandising team and contribute to the development of future Associate and Assistant Buyers as the team grows.
Desired Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Fashion, Business, Merchandising, or a related field preferred.
- 2–4 years of experience in buying, retail merchandising, product development, or a related vendor-facing role; women’s apparel or accessories experience preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage products, categories, vendors, or comparable areas of responsibility.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use business data to make recommendations and decisions.
- Strong understanding of assortment planning, product performance, inventory, pricing, and retail buying fundamentals.
- Confident, professional communication skills with vendors and cross-functional partners.
- Highly organized with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects.
- Proficiency with Google Suite, Excel, and Claude, and familiarity with Shopify, ShipHero, Canva, or comparable systems preferred.
- Strong attention to detail without losing sight of broader business objectives.
- Curious, proactive, and comfortable making recommendations and taking ownership in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Living Our Core Values
In everything this role touches, we look for our four core values: Authenticity in every selection and recommendation, the Boutique Experience of trust and personal attention, a real sense of Community with and among our customers, and Creativity that brings originality and artistry to every part of the business.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $66,560.00 - $76,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without employer sponsorship now or in the future? Please answer “Yes” or “No.”
Work Location: Remote
