Job Description

🔝 Reports to: Sr Manager Regional Merchandising

📑 Permanent contract

📍 EMEA HQ, Geneva, Switzerland

👩‍💻🏡 Hybrid mode (2 days/week home-office)

📆 Start date: at the earliest convenience

OUTGROWN YOUR OWN BACKYARD? COME PLAY IN OURS.

At Columbia Sportswear, we’re as passionate about the outdoors as you are. And while our gear is available worldwide, we’re proud to be based in the Pacific Northwest, where natural wonders are our playground.

Every product we make and every task we undertake is inspired by the famous words of our founder Gert Boyle: “It’s perfect. Now make it better.” As pioneers of relentless improvement, we are constantly evolving

Discover a world of diversity within our team of 700+ across 13 European countries, united by the common goal of elevating Columbia to the pinnacle of outdoor brands in Europe. Our omnichannel approach seamlessly integrates Columbia and Sorel brands' engaging in-store and online experiences.

We believe the outdoors is ours to protect and strive to keep our planet healthy. We believe in empowering people to experience the outdoors to the fullest.

And we believe in you.

ABOUT THE POSITION

As Columbia continues to expand its ecommerce business across Europe, reaching new markets, growing its direct-to-consumer channel and deepening its connection with outdoor consumers, we are strengthening our Buying team to match this ambition.

We are creating a new Ecommerce Buyer role with a focused scope: Footwear (Columbia & Sorel), Apparel Youth, Accessories and Equipment, reporting to the Sr Manager Regional Merchandising. This perimeter has been designed deliberately. Concentrated enough to allow for genuine product expertise, frequent in-depth analysis and close day-to-day collaboration with the Web Merchandising team covering the same categories.

As a Buyer for the eCommerce channel, you define the buying strategy, build seasonal selections, manage pricing logic and work hand in hand with Web Merchandising to ensure everything you have built lands on-site with impact. The role sits at the intersection of commercial thinking, product passion and brand understanding.

You will own your perimeter end-to-end, from budget construction at the start of the season to sell-out optimisation and inventory management at close, all within the framework of a flagship online store for both brands.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

Build and own your buying strategy

• Define the seasonal buying budget and assortment strategy for your scope, aligned with brand guidelines and commercial priorities
• Make buying decisions that balance product depth, range breadth and business performance across Footwear, Youth, Accessories and Equipment
• Anticipate what will perform on your perimeter and bring well-argued recommendations to the Product Merchandising team

Drive performance throughout the season

• Monitor sales, sell-through and margin indicators, and take proactive action when needed
• Run projections, forecasts and scenario analyses to support intake, pricing and liquidation decisions
• Build and manage promotional operations in a way that serves commercial objectives while protecting brand positioning — this is a flagship environment, not a markdown-first one

Turn your buying into compelling online experiences

• Work closely with Web Merchandising teams to ensure your selections are surfaced and presented with relevance and commercial intent
• Provide product expertise and recommendations to support landing pages, editorial moments and seasonal activations
• Be the go-to product reference for your categories: know your range inside out, understand each product's role, and know how and when to put it forward

Contribute to a stronger merchandising organization

• Collaborate with Product Merchandising to share ecomm performance insights and influence future range decisions
• Help raise the standard of how categories are bought and merchandised online across the European ecomm business

YOU ARE

• Genuinely passionate about product: footwear, youth apparel, gear and accessories are not just references on a spreadsheet to you
• Analytically sharp: you think in retail math naturally and use data to drive decisions, not just to report on them
• Brand-aware: you understand that on an ecom flagship, every selection and every price point sends a signal about who we are
• Autonomous and structured: you own your scope, manage your workload and do not need to be prompted to go deeper
• A strong collaborator: you work well across functions and know how to align with and influence web merch and product teams
• Pragmatic and outcome-focused: you find the right path forward in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment

YOU HAVE

• Solid experience as a Buyer or Merchandiser, ideally combining time on the brand side and exposure to retail or ecommerce environments
• A genuine affinity with the outdoor, sport or lifestyle sector: you know the products and speak the language of the category
• Strong command of retail math: margin calculation, intake planning, promotional mechanics, sell-through and liquidation forecasting
• Experience building buying budgets and seasonal selections with a structured, analytical approach
• Comfort with ecommerce dynamics: how product is discovered, presented and converted in a digital environment
• Fluency in English; additional European languages are a plus

PERKS & BENEFITS

🎁 Significant discounts on Columbia and Sorel products

🌍 Soft mobility policy (Geneva office only)

👩‍⚕️ Health insurance allowance for employees in Switzerland

🧘‍♀️ Pilates and yoga classes on our premises, and running groups or sports activities

📚 Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning

📖 A monthly Learning Hour for training, discovery and learning

👩‍🏫 Unlock your potential: access to in-house training courses (feedback, leadership, Insights®...)

🌈DEI initiatives to exchange and strengthen our involvement around these themes

ABOUT THE CULTURE

• At Columbia Sportswear, we value an inclusive and open culture that emphasizes the absence of barriers between team members. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging by encouraging personal connections at all levels, which creates a cohesive and supportive work environment.
• Team members serve as ambassadors for our brand, finding motivation in being part of an organization dedicated to activities they are passionate about. This dedication reflects our commitment to building a team that takes pride in our products and values.
• We offer the opportunity to work for a US-based company within a multicultural environment, where your job has an impact across different countries.
• Our "Always Be Learning" culture of continuous learning enables our employees to identify and develop skills that will enable them to continue to grow within the company.
• "Unlock Your Potential" is the spirit that characterizes our vision of employees' development: to offer them opportunities to grow, in their job, in their team or even to change jobs completely. We grow our people to grow our business.

To learn more about us and our culture, visit our page on Welcome To The Jungle: https://bit.ly/49bl1i5

ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS

1️⃣ Ready to unlock your potential at Columbia Sportswear Company? Apply now to help us connect active people with their passion! The hiring team will review your application in the following weeks.

2️⃣ If your application is selected: a 30-45mn introductory interview with our Talent Acquisition Team to talk about yourself, your motivations and the role

3️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager (online or in-person interview)

4️⃣ Interview with the main stakeholders, including case study presentation

5️⃣ Your unique strengths align perfectly with our team: we are thrilled to extend you an offer!

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

At Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC), we’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful workplace where everyone has the same opportunity to thrive. We welcome talent from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on age, gender, nationality, race, religion or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.​

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of our success as a global brand. We aim to recruit, develop, and retain exceptional people,ensuring fair practices and transparency in line with evolving standards. We are committed to equal pay for equal work and make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Expected Pay: CHF96 600 - CHF132 000
*Pay decisions are determined by multiple factors, including job competitiveness within the market, a candidate’s capabilities and skills, years of experience, and internal equity.

The expected pay listed on this job posting reflects the gross expected pay for Full Time positions.
This pay disclosure will not apply to roles subject to different pay structures due to age or employment category (such as minors, apprentices, or interns) permitted under applicable law/CBA