About the Team
You will report to the VP of Merchandising and be part of the collaborative Pottery Barn Teen team responsible for creating assortment strategies based on analyzing sales and trends. Our job blends creativity, analytics, and marketing.
About the Role
The Teen Retail Buyer is responsible for driving product strategy, in-store execution, and financial performance for the Teen retail business. This role partners cross-functionally with Merchandising, Planning, Allocation, Stores, Visual Merchandising, and Operations to deliver compelling seasonal assortments, support store performance, and ensure accurate execution of product and promotional strategies. The ideal candidate is analytical, detail-oriented, self-starter, and highly collaborative with strong communication skills and an understanding of the teen retail market.
Responsibilities
Reporting & Business Recaps
- Pull weekly business reporting and sales performance analytics.
- Write weekly recap and summary emails for cross-functional partners.
Store Support
- Attend weekly Retail Meetings to support store teams.
- Communicate business shifts and any follow-ups or action items.
Partner with Allocation and Distribution on allocation needs; attend weekly allocation meeting.
Seasonal Responsibilities
Line Assortment & Product Strategy
- Prepare seasonal hindsight recaps and analysis.
- Develop retail strategies to drive growth.
- Attend Teen product milestone meetings.
- Assort seasonal collections for both Teen Retail Stores and Pottery Barn Kids (shop-in-shop) footprint.
- Select and manage seasonal floor models.
- Create and maintain seasonal merchandise lists.
Financial Planning
- Partner with leadership to set seasonal business targets.
- Attend department rollup meetings.
- Work with the Planning team on retail financial rollups and forecasting.
SKU Management
- Request all 921 copy SKUs for retail assortments.
- Hand off SKUs to Inventory for purchase order (PO) placement.
- Execute re-ticketing and mark-up actions in the system; send memos to stores.
- Maintain SKU data, including cost, COO, ship mode, and vendor updates.
Store Support & Training
- Prepare seasonal kickoff decks and lead training calls with field teams.
- Visit stores to gather feedback and share insights.
Visual Merchandising Partnership
- Partner with Visual Merchandising to map store layouts.
- Support pre-season set-ups as needed.
- Work with Allocation to assign pre-season inventory.
- Coordinate sample lists and trackers; ship samples (UPS) and communicate tracking details to stores.
- Request seasonal and core signage; review and edit visual books.
Reporting
- Maintain and update lists within the retail report.
- Create and update STD reports for broader team usage.
- Pull store-specific reporting to identify business shifts and for fiscal reporting
Request inventory transfers from DTC to support store inventory.
Criteria
- 5-7+ years of retail buying or merchandising experience.
- Strong analytical and Excel/reporting skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Passion for teen retail, trends, and customer insights.
- This role requires being onsite in the San Francisco office Monday through Thursday
Our Culture & Values
We believe that taking care of our people is vital to our success and we strive to offer equitable and transparent practices for all. We prioritize connection, growth, and wellbeing.
People First
Putting People First means investing in overall well-being and opportunities to grow and advance within the organization. Depending on the position and location, here are a few highlights of what benefits may be available:
Benefits
- A generous discount on all WSI brands
- A 401(k) plan and other investment opportunities
- Paid vacations, holidays, and time off to volunteer
- Health benefits, dental and vision insurance, including same-sex domestic partner benefits
- Tax-free commuter benefits
A wellness program that supports your physical, financial and emotional health
Continued Learning
- In-person and online learning opportunities through WSI University
- Cross-brand and cross-function career opportunities
- Resources for self-development
- Advisor (Mentor) program
Career development workshops, learning programs, and speaker series
WSI will not now or in the future commence an immigration case or "sponsor" an individual for this position (for example, H-1B or other employment-based immigration).
This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, or other applicable state or local laws and ordinances.
The expected starting pay range for this position is $100,000 - $115,000. Applicable pay ranges may differ across markets. Actual pay will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law. In addition to competitive pay, compensation may include a variety of other components like benefits, paid time off, merit, and bonus opportunities.
About Us
Our Company
Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of high-quality products for the kitchen and home in the United States. Our family of brands are Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, Rejuvenation, West Elm, Mark & Graham, Outward, and GreenRow. These brands are among the best known and most respected in the industry. We offer beautifully-designed, stylish and functional products for every area of the home, including the kitchen, living room, bedroom, home office, closet, laundry room and even outdoor spaces. We've seen some big changes since our first brick-and-mortar store opened more than half of a century ago. What hasn't changed is our passion for high-quality products, functional design, outstanding customer service, and enhancing the lives of our customers and the communities where we operate. Today, we're a multi-brand, multi-channel, global enterprise supported by state-of-the-art technology and some of the most talented teams in retailing - and we're always looking for new energy and ideas.