Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head Buyer

🎯 Role Definition

The Head Buyer is a senior commercial leader responsible for end-to-end buying and category strategy across assigned product lines. This role owns assortment planning, supplier selection, commercial negotiation, margin delivery, inventory optimization and cross-functional alignment with merchandising, operations, marketing and finance. The Head Buyer drives supplier partnerships, ensures product quality and compliance, and leads a team of buyers/category managers to deliver growth, profitability and customer-relevant assortments across retail, ecommerce or wholesale channels.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Buyer
Category Manager
Purchasing/Procurement Manager

Advancement To:

Head of Procurement / Head of Buying
Director of Merchandising
VP of Merchandising or Chief Procurement Officer

Lateral Moves:

Category Director
Supplier Relationship Director
Supply Chain Director

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development and execution of a multi-channel buying and category strategy that aligns with company revenue, margin and growth targets while reflecting customer insights and competitive positioning.
Own full P&L responsibility for assigned categories, setting sales forecasts, margin targets, promotional plans and inventory targets in partnership with finance and merchandising.
Develop annual and seasonal assortment plans, SKU architecture and life-cycle strategies to optimize sell-through, gross margin and inventory turns.
Negotiate commercial terms, framework agreements and supplier contracts to secure best-in-market costs, payment terms, exclusivity, lead times and service-level agreements.
Source and onboard strategic suppliers, conducting due diligence on capacity, quality systems, compliance (labelling, safety, sustainability), and ability to scale with demand.
Lead cross-functional launch programs with design, quality assurance, operations and marketing to ensure timely product introductions and promotional readiness.
Implement and manage supplier performance metrics (OTIF, defect rates, lead-time variability, cost-saving delivery) and run regular business reviews to drive continuous improvement.
Drive category insights through data-driven analysis: sell-through, markdown drivers, pricing elasticity, margin impact and assortment productivity to inform buying decisions.
Build and maintain forecasting and replenishment processes (weekly/monthly) coordinated with demand planning and inventory management teams to minimize stockouts and overstocks.
Own promotional planning and trade-offs: determine promotional cadence, margin support, and vendor co-op funds while protecting long-term brand value.
Champion vendor risk management, ensuring robust contingency plans, multi-sourcing strategies and supply chain visibility for critical items.
Collaborate with merchandising, visual, CRM and e-commerce teams to optimize omnichannel product availability, product pages, and conversion-driving merchandising.
Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing buying team: set KPIs, conduct performance reviews, define career paths and recruit talent to scale capabilities.
Drive cost-to-serve and landed cost optimization through freight consolidation, packaging initiatives, tariff mitigation and total cost negotiations.
Ensure compliance with commercial policies, procurement processes, vendor contracts, and legal and regulatory requirements (imports, customs, product safety).
Manage private label/own-brand programs including product development, BOM optimization, quality sign-off and margin improvement initiatives.
Lead assortment rationalization projects and SKU reduction strategies to increase productivity and reduce complexity without harming customer choice.
Coordinate with supply chain and operations to prioritize production schedules, expedite critical orders, and manage seasonal capacity constraints.
Develop and implement supplier diversity, sustainability and ethical sourcing initiatives to support corporate ESG goals and brand positioning.
Prepare and present regular commercial reviews and category performance reports to senior leadership, highlighting risks, opportunities and recommended actions.
Drive innovation by scouting suppliers, attending trade shows, and evaluating new materials, technologies and product concepts to keep assortments relevant.
Manage vendor finance relationships including negotiating extended payment terms, supplier financing or consignment arrangements where appropriate.

Secondary Functions

Act as the primary liaison between buying and inventory planning to translate promotional plans into replenishment schedules and safety stock settings.
Support ad-hoc commercial analytics and competitive benchmarking to inform pricing and promotional decisions.
Mentor junior procurement staff on negotiation best practices, vendor evaluation and category analytics.
Contribute to ERP/PLM system rollouts by defining buying workflows, master data standards and user requirements.
Coordinate with legal and compliance teams on contract lifecycle management, IP protections and third-party agreements.
Participate in cross-functional strategic initiatives like ERP migrations, omnichannel assortment harmonization, and margin improvement programs.
Support M&A diligence related to supplier contracts, sourcing footprint and spend analysis when required.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Category Management: Proven ability to define category strategy, assortment architecture, and lifecycle management to maximize category productivity and margin.
Strategic Sourcing: Expertise in global sourcing strategies, supplier selection, RFx processes, and cost benchmarking.
Commercial Negotiation: Track record of negotiating large vendor contracts, rebates, volume discounts, and service-level agreements to drive tangible savings.
Financial Acumen & P&L Management: Strong skills in budget setting, gross margin analysis, forecasting, and commercial modeling.
Demand Forecasting & Inventory Optimization: Experience with forecasting tools, safety stock calculation, and inventory turnover improvement.
Contract Management & Compliance: Knowledge of contract law fundamentals, procurement governance and regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.
ERP & Buying Systems: Hands-on experience with procurement and merchandising systems such as SAP MM/SD, Oracle NetSuite, JDA/Blue Yonder, or other PLM/ERP tools.
Data Analysis & Reporting: Advanced Excel skills, experience with BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and ability to translate data to actionable insights.
Vendor Performance Management: Setting KPIs, conducting business reviews and implementing corrective action plans.
Product Development & Private Label Management: Experience managing specifications, BOMs, supplier quality and cost-down initiatives.

Soft Skills

Leadership & People Development: Ability to hire, motivate and develop a team of buyers and category specialists.
Stakeholder Management: Strong collaboration skills to influence cross-functional partners including marketing, finance and operations.
Strategic Thinking: Aptitude for long-term planning, market analysis and competitive positioning.
Communication & Presentation: Clear, persuasive communicator able to present commercial cases to senior leadership.
Negotiation & Influencing: Diplomatic but assertive in high-stakes supplier and internal negotiations.
Problem Solving & Decision Making: Makes timely, data-informed decisions under ambiguity and pressure.
Project Management: Ability to run cross-functional programs, launch schedules and commercial initiatives.
Adaptability & Resilience: Comfortable navigating fast-paced retail cycles and changing consumer trends.
Customer Focus: Deep understanding of shopper behavior and how buying decisions drive customer satisfaction.
Ethical Judgment: Strong commitment to supplier ethics, sustainability and governance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Marketing, Retail Management, or related field.

Preferred Education:

MBA or Master's in Supply Chain, Procurement, Purchasing, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Business Administration / Commerce
Finance / Accounting
Marketing / Retail Management
International Trade or Logistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

7–12 years progressive buying/procurement experience, with at least 3–5 years in a senior buyer, category lead or managerial role.

Preferred:

10+ years experience leading buying functions or category teams in retail, ecommerce, consumer goods or wholesale channels, with demonstrated P&L ownership, international sourcing experience, and multi-stakeholder leadership.