AKIRA Senior Buyer

In 2002, AKIRA opened the doors to its first women's clothing boutique in Chicago. Since then, the company has extended its reach to 30+ stores across the United States, as well as a thriving eCommerce business (shopAKIRA.com.) AKIRA is extremely well-poised for sustained growth as we continue to build a nationally recognized brand.

AKIRA’s culture has one very large, distinct difference from other fast-fashion competitors: Other-Worldly Customer Service and Fanatical, Obsessive Attention to the consumer’s needs and desires. The core principle for all employees at AKIRA is to Act and Think Like an Owner, and this belief can be reflected across all areas of the company.

AKIRA (www.shopAKIRA.com) is looking for a fashion-forward, super intelligent, math-minded, and highly motivated Senior Fashion Buyer. This is a position with significant growth potential for the right person. This position will play a hand in sourcing, buying, and planning. The right person will be open to a variety of tasks, from digging into the retail database to understand the company’s merchandising data, to traveling to LA/Vegas/NYC/Italy/China/etc. on a buy, to calling pages of vendors for shipping updates, to going to the stores to lead a markdown project - you are energized and ready to go.

Position:

Senior Buyer

Location:

Chicago, IL (Full-time, in-office)

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with Buyers, Planners, Accounting, Quality control, Receiving departments, and vendors to ensure production requirements are followed
• Communicate with vendors any revisions or changes to garments expressed by the Buyers
• Assists with the preparation process for the negotiation of product pricing with vendors and management
• Communicate any changes to existing orders to the Purchase Order department
• Work to consistently obtain Pre-Production and Top of Production samples on time
• Responsible for trying on production samples throughout the day as needed.
• Maintain a library of best-selling styles
• Manage the data and files for production matters
• Organize selling, pull reports for Buyers and ensure that all Purchase Order deliveries are made to the appropriate department
• Begin to effectively utilize the merchandising systems and understand warehouse process
• Develop and demonstrate basic product knowledge through sharing information with Buyer as a result of competitive shopping

Qualifications:

• You have graduated with a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
• You must be highly analytical and data-driven. You must be able to take a spreadsheet of data on Excel and analyze it in a meaningful and impactful way
• You must arrive with a working knowledge of key merchandising concepts such as open-to-buy, sell-thru, inventory turn, etc.
• You must be highly motivated and driven to succeed. We want you to take ownership of your duties. We want you to proactively find areas of improvement and take leadership
• You must be excited about fashion, in particular ACCESSORIES. You must be excited about new trends and constantly learning about construction, material, and other concepts regarding design
• You are able to (and enjoy) regular travel and meeting with vendors, producers, and others in the fast fashion industry. You can represent the AKIRA brand in a positive manner
• You are confident and extroverted and extremely comfortable with communication, whether in person, over the phone, Skype, or email. You have excellent follow-through
• You are a fashion leader. You follow all the style blogs and scour through Instagram for the latest and greatest looks. You are always one season ahead of the pack. You love and appreciate a wide range of different styles
• You are way above average, and only want to work at a place that is nowhere near average
• You thrive in a fast-paced work environment and embrace solving complex challenges
• You are a collaborative and hard-working problem solver, who leads by example

Benefits and Perks:

AKIRA offers competitive benefits for full time employees, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, FSA/HSA, 401(k), and employee discount. We are committed to encouraging internal development and providing significant career enrichment opportunities. Most importantly, what has propelled AKIRA’s growth and success over the years has been the dynamic culture within the company - if you’re filled with passion, have a strong desire to get things done, and if you want to go to a place where you know your work matters and where you can implement your ideas and decisions, then AKIRA just might be the place for you.

Job Type: Full-time