Associate Buyer

CSC Generation

Associate Buyer managing seasonal assortment, vendor communication, and inventory planning at outdoor retail company Backcountry. Contributing to assortment decisions and owning PO processes independently.

Posted 7/20/2026full-timeCottonwood Heights • Utah • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-LevelWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in merchandising and inventory management, with a strong foundation in Retail Math and Buying Fundamentals. Proficient in using AI tools to analyze performance and streamline workflows while maintaining excellent organizational and communication skills.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Merchandising ExperienceRetail Math ProficiencyMicrosoft Excel ProficiencyAnalytical SkillsAI Tool Utilization

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

MerchandisingInventory ManagementRetail MathBuying FundamentalsData Analysis

Soft Skills

Organizational SkillsAttention to DetailWritten CommunicationVerbal Communication

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft OfficeExcelChatGPTClaudeCopilot

Industry Keywords

Vendor CommunicationSKU ManagementPromotional StrategySales Data InterpretationProduct Presentation Optimization

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

React

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Assist in seasonal assortment selection including pricing, category and brand mix, and inventory planning; analyze historical sales data and market trends to contribute a point of view to assortment decisions
Manage day-to-day vendor communication; participate in seasonal term negotiations, discounts, and promotional windows with guidance from senior team members
Mark vendor catalogs for SKU/PO worksheet creation; build POs (Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation, Size/Color Breakout) under tight deadlines and ensure on-time submission; manage PO edits, past dues, and pre-season and ASAP builds with growing independence
Support the promotional calendar with SKU selection, rules page review, and QA; react to promotional performance and contribute a point of view on what is and is not working
Work with the Planner on pre-season inventory allocation, in-season sell-through tracking, and pricing strategy for slow movers
Review and optimize product presentation on site pages including color thumbnails, boost and sort order, cross-sells, backorder management, and site taxonomy and facets
Use AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar) to analyze assortment performance, research competitive positioning, draft promotional briefs, and streamline PO workflows; validate outputs before applying them
Support Assistant Buyers on administrative and operational processes; collaborate with Buyers and Sr. Buyers to execute shared category goals

Requirements

What you’ll need

2–3 years of relevant merchandising, buying, or inventory management experience
Solid foundation in Retail Math and Buying Fundamentals
Proficient in Microsoft Office; Excel proficiency required
Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail
Strong analytical skills; comfortable interpreting sales and inventory data
Clear written and verbal communication skills
Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar); able to prompt effectively and validate outputs

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive Benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.