Hoka Lead Buyer, HOKA DTC - 12 month FTC

Lead Buyer, HOKA DTC (12 months FTC)

At Deckers Brands, Together, Every Step is a promise kept that every employee can bring their authentic self, is valued and supported, as a whole person, at work and beyond. Together, Every Step is how we continue to deliver exceptional business results, experience an amazing place to work, and have a positive impact on the communities and world around us.

The Role:

As the Lead Buyer DTC for HOKA, you will lead the merchandising and assortment strategy across e‑Comm and Retail, ensuring product selections, range architecture, and seasonal assortments align with our category and commercial strategy. You’ll play a key role in building cohesive product ranges that support HOKA’s EMEA growth objectives, collaborating with cross-functional teams and operating with an omni-channel mindset.

The ideal candidate will have experience in merchandising within a running, sports, or retail environment-ideally with exposure to both digital and physical channels-and will understand consumer behaviour, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes across EMEA to identify opportunities and maximise commercial performance.

A key part of the role will be building and nurturing relationships with stakeholders across Retail, e‑Comm, Planning, Marketing, and Global teams. The ability to collaborate, influence, and operate with an omni‑channel mindset is essential for success in this role.

Your Impact:

• Create and present seasonal merchandising assortments aligned with brand strategy and commercial plans for e‑Comm, Retail stores, and Events
• Maintain range plans that support overall merchandising and category strategy
• Collaborate with Planning to provide SKU-level forecasting and channel planning based on consumer insights, business intelligence, historic performance, and marketing plans
• Lead the seasonal merchandising process in partnership with Planning teams
• Ensure range efficiency and SKU optimization targets are met across e‑Comm and Retail seasonal assortments
• Build strong cross-functional relationships, acting as the key category representative connecting multiple regional teams to product
• Monitor incoming deliveries and stock levels with Planning and highlight risks or issues that may impact launch readiness or range performance
• Run weekly and seasonal trade reports, sharing analysis on bestsellers, performance trends, and key insights with stakeholders
• Identify sales, trade, consumer, and market trends to highlight emerging risks and opportunities across e‑Comm and Retail channels
• Liaise with Demand Planning and the e‑Commerce Trading team on weekly trade, product priorities, and key commercial moments to maximize opportunities and support a best-in-class customer experience
• Lead projects to develop localized product assortments, working closely with Global teams to execute and manage the critical path
• Partner with the e‑Comm Trading team to support and enable strong execution of the brand and product strategy online
• Support Retail, e‑Comm, and Marketing teams with product information to enable impactful storytelling and effective merchandising execution
• Support exclusive product strategies within the category team and in alignment with the broader omni-channel merchandising strategy

COME AS YOU ARE

We celebrate diversity-of your background, your experiences, and your unique identity. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where all of our employees can Come as They Are. We believe that when we bring our different perspectives to work, we are truly Better Together.

Who You Are:

• Self-motivated and proactive
• Flexible and adaptable to change
• Dynamic, energetic, and forward thinking
• Well organized and innovative, with a creative approach to challenges

We would Love to Hear from People with:

• Experience in a Merchandising role, preferably in the sports industry
• Fluent in English; additional European languages are an advantage
• Demonstrates enthusiasm for Merchandising and a desire to continue progressing in their merchandising career
• Proficient in Microsoft applications, especially Excel and PowerPoint, and Adobe (editor/photoshop)
• Strong numerate and problem-solving skills
• Good understanding of omni-channel management

What We Will Give You:

• 27 Days Holidays + Bank Holidays & some time away from work - on top of generous holiday allowance, we can generally take advantage of half day Fridays providing our work is finished for the week.
• Extras, discounts, perks & volunteering opportunities - Being a valued member of the Deckers Brands team means more than just a paycheck. From generous discounts to community-based programs, we offer a variety of cool extras.
• Growth and Development - Deckers Brands was built on the idea of pursuing passion. That’s why we offer extensive opportunities and support for personal and professional development including Global Mentorship Programme
• Hybrid & Flexible Working Environment

Equal Employment Opportunity
Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants embracing their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all of the other beautiful parts of your identity.

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