About Us:

Rent the Runway (RTR)  is transforming the way we get dressed by pioneering the world’s first Closet in the Cloud. Founded in 2009, RTR has disrupted the $2.4 trillion fashion industry by inspiring women with a more joyful, sustainable and financially-savvy way to feel their best every day. As the ultimate destination for circular fashion, the brand now offers infinite points of access to its shared closet via a fully customizable subscription to fashion, one-time rental or ownership. RTR offers designer apparel, accessories and home decor from 700+ brand partners and has built in-house proprietary technology and a one-of-a-kind reverse logistics operation. Under CEO and Co-Founder Jennifer Hyman’s leadership, RTR has been named to CNBC’s “Disruptor 50” five times in ten years, and has been placed on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list multiple times, while Hyman herself has been named to the “TIME 100” most influential people in the world and as one of People magazine’s “Women Changing the World.”

About the Team:

The Buying organization, while scaling rapidly, operates day to day as a tight knit team.  We are big believers in teamwork, and partner cross functionally with other teams across the company.  We consider ourselves experts in textile fabrication, and pride ourselves on the strengths of our relationships with our 500+ designer partners in the marketplace.  A few fun facts: We are made up of a handful of Yoga instructors, Soul-Cycle fanatics, TV nerds, Bravo experts, and are not afraid of a Karaoke microphone.

About the Job: 

The Associate Buyer independently manages a category within the Buyer’s matrix, while also assisting in managing other areas of the buying office. As Associate Buyer, you will be tasked with creating a distinguished assortment with existing vendors as well as seek out new and differentiating vendors to satisfy customer demands in your assigned area of business. 

What You’ll Do: 

• Maintain a keen awareness of the changing internal/external business environment (i.e. emerging fashion trends, brands, styles, customer trends) and anticipate how these changes impact the business
• Own the open-to-buy process/lifecycle for your designated area of responsibility by initiating analysis and presenting strategies to drive sound business decisions
• Demonstrate mastery of systems (i.e. Tableau & Excel) to efficiently find data essential to making sound business decisions
• Independently take the initiative to explore, implement and execute new ideas to drive rentals; form relationships with vendors and negotiate terms 
• Work closely with cross-functional partners in Planning, Creative, Marketing, Operations, Site Merchandising, and Customer Experience to drive business decisions 
• Identify future business risks and opportunities; develop and implement replacement and growth strategies
• Assist in identifying process inefficiencies and make recommendations for process improvements in a timely manner
• Develop pre-season strategies and work with vendor partners, Planning & Fashion Operations to execute in season styles 
• Anticipate problems and determine solutions to positively impact the business; reconcile receipts weekly to ensure PO's arrive on time and have booked correctly
• Ensure products are live on our website in a timely manner through collaboration with Site Merchandising and Creative

About You: 

• Bachelor’s Degree and 4+ years of relevant work experience 
• Strong written and oral communication skills, excellent computer skills including MS Word and Excel
• Able to recognize when change is needed and effectively course corrects
• Identifies future business risks and opportunities. Develops and implements replacement and growth strategies.
• Self-starter who takes ownership and initiative and can excel in a fast-paced, high growth environment
• Proactive thinker with the ability to focus on meeting larger business goals 
• Strategic thinker with the ability to analyze information to execute implementation suggestions or drive new ideas
• Strong communication and time-management skills, strong negotiation and relationship building skills
• Strong problem-solver and team player who acts as a go-to resource for Assistant Buyers and Buying interns 
• Balance urgent and effective action, commitment to excellence, and take initiative to resolve problems and work quality
• Sophisticated sense of style and appreciation for fashion with the ability to identify trends
• Ability to work with limited resources and willingness to be involved in many aspects of a growing company

Benefits:

At Rent the Runway, we’re committed to the wellbeing of our employees, and aim to create a workplace that fosters both personal and professional growth. Our inclusive benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Paid Time Off including vacation, paid bereavement, and family sick leave - every employee needs time to take care of themselves and their family.
• Universal Paid Parental Leave for both parents + flexible return to work program  - because we know your newest family member(s) deserve your undivided attention.
• Paid Sabbatical after 5 years of continuous service - Unplug, recharge, and have some fun!
• Exclusive employee subscription and rental discounts -  to ensure you experience the magic of renting the runway (and give us valued feedback!).
• Comprehensive health, vision, dental, FSA and dependent care from day 1 of employment - Your health comes first and we’ve got you covered.
• 401k match - an investment in your future.
• Company wide events and outings - our team spirit is no joke - we know how to have fun!
• Hybrid Work - when our corporate employees return to the office post COVID they will have the option to work remotely 2-3 days a week, in accordance with Company policies. 

Rent the Runway is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.