Assistant Merchandising Manager, Kate Spade Retail (SEA)

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always stood for optimistic femininity. Today, the brand is a global life and style house with handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, gifts, home décor and more. Polished ease, thoughtful details and a modern, sophisticated use of color—Kate Spade New York’s founding principles define a unique style synonymous with joy. Under the vision of creative director Nicola Glass, the brand continues to celebrate confident women with a youthful spirit.

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands powered by optimism, innovation, and inclusivity.

Primary Purpose

The Assistant Buying Manager (Retail) supports the development and execution of seasonal retail assortments across SEAO stores. This role helps deliver sales, margin, and inventory productivity targets by managing buys, analyzing in‑season performance, and partnering closely with cross functional teams.

The ideal candidate is commercially sharp, detail‑oriented, and passionate about retail product and consumer trends.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Seasonal Buying & Range Building

• Building store assortments aligned to brand strategy and consumer insights.

• Conduct product performance analysis and Go-To-Market materials to inform buy decisions.

• Prepare buy sheets, style/SKU projections, and size curves for store clusters.

• Support pricing set‑up and seasonal pricing updates across the system.

2. In‑Season Trade & Performance Management

• Monitor weekly sales, sell‑throughs, stock levels, and replenishment flow across stores.

• Highlight risks and opportunities by style/category to influence in‑season actions.

• Recommend reorders, replenishment adjustments, and markdowns to optimize profitability.

• Identify slow-moving inventory and propose tactical plans (markdowns, consolidation, store transfers).

3. Inventory & Product Flow Management

• Work closely with Planning, Allocator and Supply Chain to ensure on‑time product delivery.

• Track PO status, shipment ETAs, and resolve delays, shortages, or discrepancies.

• Manage product lifecycle. Ensure ideal stock holdings by proactively partnering with Global and APAC teams to monitor and maintain healthy inventory levels.

4. Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Planning on forecasting, OTB, and sales/margin targets.

• Work with VM, Marketing and L&D to ensure product presentation aligns with buying intent and launch priorities.

• Support Store Operations with product knowledge, investment and consumer insights, and action plans.

5. Reporting & Analysis

• Demonstrates strong presentation skills to effectively pitch buying strategies and summarize key business impacts that inform global product development.

• Prepare weekly trade reports with insights and action recommendations.

• Track competitor activity, pricing, and market trends to support commercial decision-making.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date data across internal systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Fashion, Marketing, or related fields.

• More than 5 years of experience in retail buying, merchandising, or planning.

• Strong analytical and numerical skills; proficiency in Excel a must.

• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with multiple stakeholders.

• Passionate about retail, product, and consumer insights.

Key Competencies

• Commercial & Consumer-Oriented – Understands retail KPIs and consumer behavior.

• Analytical Thinker – Turns data into actionable decisions.

• Collaboration – Works effectively with cross-functional partners and store teams.

• Agility – Responds quickly to in-season performance shifts.

• Execution Excellence – Strong follow-through with a high standard of accuracy.