Associate Buyer

At Backcountry, our mission is to connect people to their passions. Our four online stores-Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, MotoSport and, SteepandCheap-aim to supply our customers with the gear, knowledge, and inspiration necessary to get out there and chase down life's greatest moments. We do this by providing the biggest and best assortment of premium outdoor products, superior shopping experience, personalized Gearhead expertise, lightning-fast and accurate fulfillment, and inspirational, informative, and community-centered content.

Backcountry is seeking an experienced Associate Buyer to drive procurement and purchasing activities for our Bike division. This is a strategic role where passion for cycling meets retail expertise, focused on ensuring our company maintains a competitive edge in the market. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in the bike industry, strong analytical capabilities, and a forward-thinking, AI-driven approach to merchandising and vendor partnerships. The Associate Buyer will develop and execute sourcing strategies for bike products across hard goods, soft goods, and accessories, ensuring product assortments and vendor partnerships align with financial targets and Backcountry branding. This role will collaborate cross-functionally with Planning, Marketing, and Operations to drive revenue growth and margin improvement. The scope of the role will include all the digital channels including Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, Steep & Cheap and Market place.

What you get to do:

• • Manage pricing, category/brand mix, and seasonal selection of inventory for bike categories to ensure a diverse, high-quality merchandise assortment.
  • Negotiate discounts, terms, pricing policies, and promotional periods with bike industry vendors to maximize gross margin and support differentiated product stories.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, fostering partnerships for product innovation, exclusivity, and competitive advantage.
  • Mark vendor catalogs for SKU/PO worksheet creation; build POs (Qty/Dollar/Style Allocation, Size/Color Breakout) and ensure on-time submission to vendors.
  • Manage timely PO edits, past dues, and carry out all PO type builds and maintenance (Pre-season, ASAP).
  • Work with Marketing to brainstorm and hindsight promo concepts and performance; help set up the promotional cadence for bike categories.
  • Pick SKUs/links, review all rules pages, QA promo functionality, review and react to performance, and identify risks in promotional calendar.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Creative, and Operations to develop compelling product campaigns and promotions that drive brand engagement and revenue growth.
  • Work with Planning to set pre-season pricing strategy; manage in-line/in-season pricing (promo periods, price matching, promotional calendar management).
  • Manage end of season price-break dates and communicate all in-season and end of season price breaks to marketing team.
  • Work with Planning to establish pre-season PO receipt flow and inventory allocation; set in-season sell-through targets and pricing strategy for slow movers.
  • Manage aged and toxic inventory, Return to Vendor (RTV), and mark-down dollar requests with vendors to optimize inventory health.
  • Review and optimize color thumbnails displayed on PLP and search pages; oversee boosting/sort order for responsible brands/categories.
  • Set up Cross Sell/Up Sell tools, manage backorders, review and optimize site taxonomy and facets, and utilize Kit Calculator as required per category.
  • Conduct regular product performance reviews, identifying opportunities for growth and improvement.
  • Leverage sales data, trend analysis, and consumer analytics to forecast demand and develop data-driven procurement plans.
  • Monitor key KPIs, buying trends, and vendor metrics; utilize reporting platforms to detect trends and prescribe action plans to maximize profitability.
  • Stay abreast of bike industry trends, competitor activities, and consumer preferences to inform merchandising decisions.

What you bring:

• • Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Supply Chain Management, or related field preferred.
  • 2-3 years of relevant bike industry merchandising and buying experience.
  • Expertise in bike product knowledge strongly preferred (hard goods, soft goods, accessories, E-bikes).
  • Solid foundation of retail math and buying fundamentals.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office (proficiency in Excel is a must); experience with purchasing, planning, and reporting systems.
  • Strong analytical skills to interpret market trends, sales data, and customer preferences.
  • Effective negotiation skills to secure favorable terms with suppliers.
  • Excellent organizational skills and extreme attention to detail.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills to liaise with suppliers, internal teams, and contribute to marketing initiatives.
  • Outstanding time management skills and ability to perform under pressure.
  • Ability to prioritize competing tasks/initiatives in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment.
  • Willingness and ability to travel as needed for vendor meetings and industry events.
  • Genuine passion for cycling and keen understanding of the bike retail market, key brands, trends, and consumer behavior.

What's in it for you? Joining Backcountry isn't just about having a seat at the table-it's about helping redesign the table entirely. You'll be challenged, stretched, and supported as you grow faster than you thought possible. In addition to competitive compensation, we offer:

• • Executive Access: Work directly with brand CEOs and senior leadership, solving real business problems and earning mentorship from top operators.
  • AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with the most advanced AI tools in the market. From automation to prompt engineering, you'll build a modern tech stack that sets you apart in any industry.
  • Accelerated Career Path: High performers are quickly entrusted with greater responsibility, new challenges, and leadership opportunities across our portfolio of brands.
  • Competitive benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k)/RRSP match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts at our portfolio companies
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Our interview process:

• • Step 1: If you align with our vision and meet the qualifications, we'll reach out to schedule a conversation and introduce Backcountry.
  • Step 2: You'll complete a short AI or product-building challenge so we can understand how you approach problems and execution.
  • Step 3: Participate in deep-dive interviews with Backcountry leadership focused on your experience, product mindset, and operational thinking.
  • Step 4: Offer. We'll move fast for the right candidate.

The CSC family of brands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws.

The CSC family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected].

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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