Senior Director Buying - Kids Footwear FTL/KFL (Hybrid)

Overview Great brands reflect culture. The best ones help shape it. At Foot Locker, we’re rooted in sport, powered by style, and driven by the communities that move both. From Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker to Champs Sports, WSS, and atmos, our brands sit at the intersection of sport, style, and self-expression. As part of the DICK’S Sporting Goods family, you’re backed by the resources, reach, and career opportunities of a world-class sports company. That unleashes Foot Locker to keep pushing forward with the agility and edge that define the brand. We’re looking for great people who want to influence culture and the generation that is shaping what’s next. Whether you’re building strategy, shaping innovations, or creating unforgettable customer moments, you’ll contribute to decisions and experiences that define our brands’ impact in the communities we serve. Come change the game with us. Apply today! This hybrid position will be located at our New York Corporate Office. Expectations for the hybrid in-office schedule are three days a week, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Foot Locker, Inc, is hiring a Sr. Director, Buying to join our team! The Sr. Director, Buying is a member of the North America team and will support our kids' footwear category. You will oversee and lead a buying team to ensure maximum sales, profits, and productivity metrics through successful assortment building, inventory management, and gross margin focus, consistent with divisional and company merchandise strategies. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. At this time, Foot Locker will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization, or offer any immigration related support for this position (i.e. H1B, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, J-1, TN, or another type of work authorization. Responsibilities Strategy Development and Execution: Build our brand by understanding our overall corporate goals and pillars and interpreting this vision into short, mid and long-term merchandising strategies, all while considering unique global and local customer needs. Innovate and drive best practices to create a world-class merchandising function that supports the Company’s broader goals of growth and high standards of customer service through superior levels of execution on all fronts. Lead the merchandise planning process, creating and implementing seasonal plans that deliver sales volume, margin growth, and inventory turnover while incorporating promotional and markdown strategies. Drive these decisions and strategies through to completion to ensure achievement of financial plans and forecasts. Vendor Relationship Management: Build favorable external relationships and establish/maintain a solid reputation in the industry. Partner and negotiate with vendors on all product-related issues, including assortments, buy quantities, deliveries, and price, in order to maximize Company’s profits and surpass established financial goals. Financial Planning: Lead monthly forecasting/statement process, including plan building, budget planning, and revisions as needed. Ensure reporting identifies risks and opportunities to sales and margin plans. Keep abreast of industry best practices and monitor financial performance against corporate objectives. Address improvement opportunities. Marketing Integration: Partner with the Marketing team to develop program ideas that support key product investments and which drive both consumer excitement and merchandise sell-through. Lead the buying team in the identification of in-store opportunities to tell exciting and commercially relevant product stories and partner with Marketing/vendor partners to enlist social/digital media support. Trend Identification: With a strong understanding of the competitive landscape, this role leads the buying team to define and develop the product mix. Monitor and interpret market and consumer trends, as well as the activities of competition, to identify new opportunities while maintaining close communication with our retail stores to keep a pulse on ever-shifting customer preferences. Drive a team to follow social media and sports/fashion content and conduct market travel to identify evolving styles/trends/behaviors within our core consumer segments. Initiate product tests to lead the market in emerging opportunities and look to scale early market entry to a large commercial business as warranted. People Development: Build the capabilities of the team by developing individuals that are qualified to meet current and future objectives and can serve as bench strength for future company leadership. Provide honest, objective feedback of individual team member’s strengths and weaknesses, and identify training and on-the-job opportunities for growth and professional development. Lead the department’s annual performance review and Executive Development Review processes. Qualifications Minimum of 5 years of experience in a specialty retail environment Experience in apparel and footwear is a plus Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising, Marketing or equivalency required Career history that combines progressive buying or merchandising roles for branded and/or private label businesses Thorough knowledge of merchandising, trend-forecasting, buying & distribution, marketing, inventory control, budgeting, financial planning and personnel supervision Familiarity and comfort-level in a customer-service oriented culture Demonstrated ability to “raise the bar” in terms of performance and revenue growth within a fast-paced environment Proven skill at influencing and negotiating with business partners, both internally and externally Ability to take ownership of decisions and guide and push back in a diplomatic manner, even when faced with dissenting points of view Encourage creative tension while rema ining positive and composed Comprehensive understanding of the financial, strategic, and technical capabilities of the organization Excellent organizational, communication, and critical thinking skills Must be able to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner Travel expectations estimated to be about once a month At Foot Locker, we value innovation, authenticity, and integrity in all that we do. To uphold the security and fairness of our hiring process, we ask that candidates refrain from using AI tools, including ChatGPT, during interviews and assessments. To ensure a smooth and secure experience, please review the following guidelines: Cameras must be on for all virtual interviews. AI tools are strictly prohibited during interviews or assessments. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work together to create a transparent and equitable hiring experience. #LI-JJ1 Benefits The annual base salary range is $170000 - $185000. This range represents the anticipated low and high end of the salary for this position. This role is also eligible to receive short term incentives that align with company performance. Salary will be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. Salary is one component of the Foot Locker, Inc. total compensation package, which includes the below. Foot Locker Benefits: Employee Discount Paid Time Off Paid Parental Leave Medical | Dental | Vision Coverage 401(k) | Roth 401(k) Life Insurance Flexible Spending Account Opportunities for Advancement Tuition Reimbursement for Qualified Courses Strong Company Culture Employee Resource Groups