Saks Global Assistant Buyer, Contemporary Shoes
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Junior
- Department
- Merchandising, Buying & Planning
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 15, 2026
About Saks Global
A leading luxury fashion house within a global luxury group, known for contemporary ready-to-wear and leather goods. The employer combines artisanal craft and commercial discipline, operating internationally with headquarters and regional buying teams that coordinate product assortments, vendor partnerships and go-to-market calendars.
Assistant Buyer, Contemporary Shoes at a leading luxury fashion house in Milan — support footwear assortment, vendor relations and commercial analysis.
Role & Responsibilities
- Support the footwear buying team in assortment planning, range building and seasonal product selection for the contemporary shoes category.
- Prepare and analyse commercial reports including sell-through, margin, inventory days of supply and open-to-buy to inform buying decisions.
- Manage purchase orders and delivery schedules, liaise with suppliers and internal production teams to ensure on-time availability.
- Coordinate sample reviews, fittings and quality-control checkpoints with design, product development and quality assurance.
- Monitor market and trend intelligence, attend trade shows and showroom appointments to source product and assess competitor activity.
- Maintain accurate product data in PLM/ERP systems and produce weekly/monthly merchandising reports and presentation decks for stakeholder review.
- Support markdown and promotional strategies in collaboration with planning, wholesale and retail teams to optimize sell-through and margins.
Qualifications
- Proven commercial aptitude with the ability to interpret sales and inventory KPIs to drive purchase decisions.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to coordinate cross‑functional stakeholders and external vendors.
- Strong organisational ability and attention to detail to manage purchase orders, delivery schedules and sample flows.
- Negotiation skills and supplier relationship experience, preferably within footwear or leather goods.
- Proficiency in advanced Microsoft Excel, comfortable preparing pivot tables, VLOOKUPs and financial models.
Skills
Experience
Typically 2–4 years of relevant experience in footwear buying, merchandise planning or retail buying within fashion or luxury retail environments; prior exposure to wholesale or e-commerce channels is advantageous.
Education
Bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising, business, economics or equivalent practical experience in fashion buying.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
Culture
The workplace combines creative sensibility with rigorous commercial discipline typical of major luxury maisons. Teams operate in a fast-paced, collaborative environment that balances respect for craftsmanship with data-driven decision making across international markets.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Saks Global, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Junior Footwear Buyer», «Footwear Buying Assistant», «Assistant Footwear Buyer», «Merchandise Assistant — Shoes», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.