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 chase down life’s greatest moments. We do this by providing a premium assortment of outdoor products, superior shopping experiences, personalized Gearhead expertise, lightning-fast fulfillment, and inspirational, community-centered content.
We’re seeking a Buyer – Men’s Soft Goods (AI-Driven Workflows Focus) who not only brings strong merchandising experience but also embraces the power of AI technologies and automation to optimize workflows, streamline processes, and enhance data-driven buying strategies. This role will play a critical part in shaping the women’s assortment while helping evolve the way we work.
This role is challenging – above and beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, you’ll have a big role within a fast-paced team. This position will report into the DMM – Men’s and Accessories
What You Get to Do Every Day:
- Assortment Building: Curate and source merchandise for the Backcountry customer, guided by market trends, historical data, and AI-generated insights on performance forecasting, demand shifts, and customer preferences.
- Vendor Relationships & Negotiations: Build strong vendor partnerships, negotiate favorable terms, and leverage AI tools to analyze vendor performance, optimize terms, and predict negotiation outcomes.
- AI-Driven PO & Workflow Management: Develop and manage purchase orders using automated templates and data pipelines. Implement AI-powered automations to streamline SKU creation, size/color breakouts, PO tracking, and reorder triggers.
- Promotions & Merchandising: Collaborate with Marketing to align promotional strategy with product availability. Use AI tools to analyze sell-through trends, suggest price elasticity strategies, and automate promotional calendar planning and SKU boosting.
- Inventory Management: Monitor inventory performance using dashboards enhanced with predictive analytics and AI-driven sell-through optimization. Manage lifecycle strategies through automated restock alerts, markdown suggestions, and exit planning.
- Team Leadership & Innovation: Provide coaching and leadership to Associate and Assistant Buyers. Champion the use of AI and workflow automation platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Zapier, Looker, etc.) across buying processes to increase team efficiency and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks.
What You Bring to the Role:
- 3–5 years of buying experience; e-commerce and/or outdoor industry preferred.
- A forward-thinking mindset with experience using or willingness to adopt AI platforms and tools to optimize work.
- Proactive and decisive; thrives in a fast-paced, tech-savvy environment.
- Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret AI-generated data and translate it into actionable buying decisions.
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills; comfortable working across automated systems and multi-channel inputs.
- Collaborative and detail-oriented, with strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Deep understanding of retail math, assortment planning, and merchandising fundamentals.
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs); bonus if familiar with AI-enhanced reporting tools.
- Willingness to travel to trade shows, vendor meetings, and field visits as needed.
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
What our interview process looks like:
- 📞 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]. 