Assistant Buyer

Company Overview

Portabella, established in New York City in 1974, is the largest privately owned men’s specialty retailer in the United States and focuses on men’s dresswear. As the parent brand behind Fino, Quails, Archie Jacobson, and Menswear Outlet, the company now operates more than 75 locations across the Northeast, stretching from Connecticut to Washington, D.C.

Built around a commitment to delivering the best quality at the best value, Portabella offers a complete men’s wardrobe in one place. Its assortment includes suits, tuxedos, blazers, dress shirts, outerwear, knits, pants, shoes, accessories, and more. The selection combines private-label labels with well-known brands such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and DKNY, making it suitable for every lifestyle and occasion. Supported by a network of more than 600 vendors and suppliers, Portabella runs a vertically integrated business designed to help men leave with a wardrobe, not just a purchase.

Role Summary

This full-time, on-site role is based in New York, NY and supports the buying function across men’s lifestyle categories. The Assistant Buyer will help with merchandise selection, purchase order processing, vendor coordination, and day-to-day office operations. The position is intended for someone who can develop into a Buyer over time.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a dependable contact for store leaders and vendors, ensuring questions, deliveries, and open issues are addressed promptly.
• Coordinate market preparation by organizing samples, line sheets, pricing details, retail information, and meeting notes.
• Set up and maintain purchase orders while tracking ticketing, ship dates, ASNs, and packing lists.
• Oversee the on-order flow from placement to receipt reconciliation, including supplier discussions around pricing and terms.
• Monitor Open-to-Buy to protect cash flow for opportunistic purchases while keeping records accurate and following purchase order rules.
• Support allocation and replenishment across stores by watching stock levels, recommending size-based reorder quantities, resolving delivery problems, and carrying out markdowns.
• Identify and negotiate opportunistic buys when timing and pricing are favorable, while balancing them with regular flow so stores remain fresh and well stocked.
• Maintain Excel-based reporting on sales, margins, size curves, and sell-through, and highlight items needing attention.
• Track top sellers by store and recommend reorders, transfers, and size adjustments as needed.
• Analyze weekly and monthly sales patterns to spot strongest and weakest performers, and use seasonal and annual history to guide future assortments.
• Investigate the market for new vendors and stay informed on competitive activity and trends.
• Work with the visual team to support execution of seasonal floor sets.
• Assist with store-level tasks such as price changes, inventory counts, and floor sets whenever needed.
• Follow company policies, procedures, and applicable regulations at all times.
• Travel domestically and internationally for trade shows as required.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in fashion, merchandising, business, supply chain management, or comparable retail/buying experience is preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience in buying, planning, or merchandising, ideally within apparel retail.
• Working understanding of merchandising and buying concepts such as assortment planning, inventory control, Open-to-Buy, and sell-through, along with the use of financial data in buying decisions.
• Strong analytical ability to interpret sales data, identify trends, and turn insights into recommendations.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational habits, especially when handling purchase orders, samples, and overlapping deadlines.
• Comfort using Excel plus inventory or ERP platforms and digital collaboration tools.
• Experience using AI tools to improve efficiency, evaluate data, and support daily work.
• Strong negotiation ability and a track record of building productive vendor relationships.
• Professional, clear communication with store teams and vendors, along with dependable follow-through.
• Strong interest in menswear and a good eye for product and fashion.
• Ability to work on-site in New York, NY and thrive in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.

Additional Information

The role is intended to grow into a Buyer position over time. The team is looking for someone who can handle a fast-moving buying office and contribute across merchandising, analysis, and vendor management.