Associate Buyer Jobs in Riverside, CA (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are:

Roark is a modern adventure lifestyle brand with roots in surf and true adventure travel and was created to give a voice to the modern adventurer who finds just as much joy on the journey as he or she does at the summit. Stories off the beaten path are the fabric of our adventures - sharing them with others is what stitches it all together.

About The Role:

Roark is looking for an analytically sharp and brand-literate DTC Buyer to own Ecommerce, Retail, and Amazon. This role sits at the intersection of commerce and creativity - balancing hard data with sharp merchandising instincts to ensure the right product is in front of the right customer at the right time. The DTC Buyer will drive assortment strategy, site merchandising, inventory health, and end-of-life planning across the Roark digital storefront. You will work cross-functionally with Product, Planning, Marketing, and Operations to optimize both the customer experience and business performance.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

DTC Assortment & Buying

• Own seasonal assortment development and buying across Ecom, Retail, and Amazon, aligning product selections with brand direction, seasonal storytelling, customer demand, and channel strategy.
• Partner with Merchandising and Planning to translate seasonal line architecture, revenue plans, and channel strategies into actionable DTC buys.
• Develop and maintain channel-specific assortments, identifying opportunities to optimize breadth, depth, SKU productivity, and product placement across DTC channels.
• Own seasonal and in-season buying decisions, including initial buys, at-once opportunities, replenishment recommendations, and chase strategies in partnership with Planning.
• Evaluate product performance and market trends to identify opportunities to expand, reduce, or shift inventory across DTC channels.
• Serve as the primary DTC buying voice in seasonal line reviews, assortment reviews, and go-to-market planning.
• Partner with Product and Merchandising teams to provide DTC-specific feedback on product, color, size, pricing, and assortment opportunities.

Site Merchandising & Channel Strategy

• Partner with Ecom and Marketing to support site merchandising strategy, ensuring product presentation, sequencing, and storytelling align with seasonal priorities and business objectives.
• Recommend which styles should remain live, be promoted, be repositioned, or be removed based on performance, inventory position, product lifecycle, and customer demand.
• Develop channel-specific strategies for Ecom, Retail, and Amazon while maintaining a consistent brand experience.
• Identify opportunities to improve assortment visibility, product productivity, and customer conversion across DTC channels.

Inventory & Financial Planning Partnership

• Partner closely with Planning to establish and manage OTB, inventory, sales, and margin objectives for DTC.
• Review inventory levels, WOS, sell-through, and product productivity to inform buying and assortment decisions.
• Collaborate with Planning on replenishment, inventory reallocation, and channel balancing to maximize sales and minimize excess inventory.
• Partner on end-of-life (EOL) strategies to maximize sell-through and minimize aged inventory exposure.
• Identify assortment gaps, redundancies, and inventory risks and develop actionable recommendations.
• Participate in regular OTB and inventory reviews and provide buying recommendations based on business performance and inventory position.

Analytics & Performance Management

• Analyze key KPIs including sales, sell-through, conversion, AUR, WOS, inventory turn, margin, and SKU productivity to inform buying and merchandising decisions.
• Monitor DTC performance across Ecom, Retail, and Amazon and identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Build and maintain regular reporting and performance review cadences in partnership with Planning.
• Use historical performance, customer insights, competitive research, and trend analysis to inform future assortment and buying strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve SKU productivity, inventory productivity, and overall DTC profitability.
• Develop actionable recommendations from performance data and communicate them clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Planning, Merchandising, Product, Marketing, Ecom, Retail, Operations, and Finance to optimize DTC business performance.
• Establish a strong Buyer/Planner partnership, with the Buyer owning assortment, product selection, and buy decisions and Planning owning forecasting, inventory strategy, and financial planning.
• Provide DTC performance feedback to Product and Merchandising teams to influence future assortments and product development.
• Partner with Marketing and Ecom teams to align product launches, campaigns, promotions, and site priorities with inventory and assortment availability.
• Communicate risks, opportunities, and recommended actions proactively to leadership.
• Support seasonal line reviews, buy reviews, and go-to-market meetings with clear, data-driven recommendations.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree.
• 5+ years of experience in DTC buying, Ecom buying, retail buying, merchandising, or a related function within the apparel, outdoor, surf, lifestyle, or consumer goods industry.
• Demonstrated experience owning assortments and buying decisions across one or more DTC channels.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and experience working with Ecom, retail, or inventory analytics.
• Demonstrated understanding of OTB, inventory planning, sell-through, WOS, replenishment, and product lifecycle management.
• Ability to translate business objectives and data into actionable assortment and buying decisions.
• Proven ability to balance brand, customer, inventory, and financial objectives in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent cross-functional communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Highly proactive and comfortable operating independently in a lean, entrepreneurial environment.
• Actively seeks out AI-enabled tools and emerging technologies, adapting quickly to leverage them for improved productivity, deeper insights, and more effective processes, while exercising sound judgment and maintaining compliance with organizational standards.

Preferred

• Experience with outdoor, surf, action sports, or lifestyle apparel brands.
• Experience buying across Ecom, retail, and Amazon.
• Familiarity with Elastic, NuOrder, Shopify, Amazon Vendor/Seller platforms, or comparable digital catalog/order management and Ecom platforms.
• Experience working within a DTC growth-stage business with a blend of wholesale and direct channels.
• Understanding of trend forecasting, consumer behavior, and assortment planning methodologies.
• Experience working within a small, highly collaborative team where individual ownership and cross-functional partnership are critical.

Location

This is an in-office hybrid position, with mandatory 4 days per week in office in Irvine, CA and the option to work from home 1 day per week. Subject to change without notice as per company guidelines.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $80,000-$120,000, plus opportunity for annual bonus. Salary is based on the experience and qualifications that you bring to the position.

Benefits & Perks

• Complimentary chef-prepared breakfast and lunch Monday-Thursday
• Generous product gift program and all-brand discounts
• Company bonus program
• 5-year and 10-year anniversary gifts and travel to desirable destinations, in accordance with plan guidelines
• Wellness program
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance in accordance with plan guidelines
• Company-paid life insurance
• 401(k) with employer match in accordance with plan guidelines
• 15 days of PTO plus one additional day of PTO every year on your anniversary
• 3 floating holidays per year
• Paid beach and giveback days
• Biannual team-building events and other in-person celebrations
• Dog-friendly office

Archipelago Companies values a diverse, inclusive, and entrepreneurial workforce and culture, and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual's race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact HR at hr@arch-cos.com. Archipelago will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.