Buyer - Apparel Men's and Collegiate Licensed

Cracker Barrel is looking for a Buyer - Apparel Men's and Collegiate Licensed to join the team in 305 Hartmann Drive, Lebanon, TN 37087. In this role, you'll be part of the Lebanon team and play a real role in how the location runs each day. It's a good fit if you're dependable and ready to jump in.

They say you are the company you keep - and at Cracker Barrel, we take that seriously. At the Store Support Center, we’re in the business of serving those who serve our guests. Whether you’re designing solutions, telling our story, or setting our teams up for success, your work makes a difference every single day. Here, the work means more because we take pride in doing it together. So, join our team and find your place, because here...we’re all in good company.  

What You'll Do - You'll Make the Moment

As our Buyer for Men’s Apparel and Collegiate Licensed Apparel, you’ll own the strategy and performance of these key categories from product development and sourcing through launch and in-season management. You’ll bring together customer insights, market trends, and strong vendor partnerships to create compelling assortments that drive sales, margin, and brand-right growth.

Essential Duties:

Merchandise Management

Category Leadership and Assortment Strategy includes:

·         Own a defined merchandise category or portfolio of categories, including assortment strategy, financial performance, vendor structure, and multi-season growth plans

·         Translates customer insights, competitive intelligence, trend analysis, and business performance into differentiated assortment strategies

In-Season Business Management

·         Leads weekly and seasonal business review processes to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and take decisive action on reorders, cancellations, promotional strategies, markdowns, consolidations, and exits

·         Continuously evaluate SKU productivity and assortment productivity to inform future buy strategies, space allocation, and portfolio optimization

Product Development + Sourcing

·         Leads product development and curation ensuring assortments are customer-right, competitively positioned, and aligned with brand standards

·         Drives innovation and category evolution by identifying whitespace opportunities, emerging trends, and product concepts that support long-term growth

Business Performance + Financial Accountability

·         Owns category performance against sales, gross margin, turn, markdown, and inventory productivity targets, with accountability for balancing growth, profitability, and risk

·         Partners with Planning and Allocation to shape open-to-buy, receipt flow, item productivity, pricing architecture, and inventory investment decisions

·         Applies advanced retail math, forecasting insight, and scenario analysis to make informed decisions that improve category returns and reduce inventory exposure

Vendor Strategy and Management

·         Lead vendor relationships including strategic sourcing, negotiations, cost management, performance expectations, and long-term partnership development

·         Negotiate costs, terms, exclusivity, and product development opportunities that strengthen margin performance and support differentiated assortments

Cross-Functional Leadership

·         Influence cross-functional partners across Planning, Allocation, Supply Chain, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, and eCommerce to bring category strategies to market effectively

·         Present category strategies, assortment recommendations, performance insights, and financial actions to leadership with clear business rationale and executive presence

·         Lead cross-functional initiatives and category workstreams, aligning partners around priorities, decisions, timelines, and business outcomes

People Leadership + Development Focus

·         Lead, coach, and develop at least one direct report, providing clear direction, ongoing feedback, and support for individual growth and performance

·         Set expectations, prioritize work, and reinforce accountability to ensure high-quality execution and strong business outcomes

Experience and Education

·         Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Management, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

·         5+ years of progressive experience in retail buying, merchandising, planning, or related commercial functions, with increasing ownership of category or assortment decisions. Additional experience driving successful omni-channel businesses a plus.

·         Demonstrated success owning a category or major assortment of apparel, preferably men's and collegiate licensed apparel, with accountability for sales, margin, inventory productivity, and vendor performance. Experience developing private label product a plus.

·         Experience leading, coaching, and developing at least one direct report or comparable people leadership responsibility

·         Experience in assortment planning, product development, sourcing, pricing, and in-season business management

Experience operating in a multi-channel retail environment and leading cross-functional decision-making

Knowledge and Skills

·         Advanced analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to interpret sales, margin, inventory, forecast, and productivity metrics to drive strategic decisions

·         Deep understanding of retail math, assortment architecture, pricing strategy, open-to-buy management, and inventory optimization principles

·         Strong product judgment and commercial instincts, with the ability to translate market trends and customer insights into compelling assortments

·         Demonstrated ability to lead category-level decisions with a balance of customer perspective, brand standards, operational feasibility, and financial outcomes

·         Highly effective negotiation and vendor management skills, including cost optimization, product development collaboration, and partnership management

·         Strong communication, influence, and presentation skills, with the ability to align cross-functional partners and present recommendations to leadership

·         Effective people leadership skills, including coaching, feedback, development, and accountability for direct report performance

·         Ability to lead through ambiguity, prioritize multiple initiatives, and operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and merchandising, planning, forecasting, or enterprise retail systems

Focus on You

We're all about making sure you're taken care of too. Here's what's in it for you:

• Good Work Deserves Good Pay: Competitive Annual Salary | Annual Bonus Opportunities

• Support That Goes Beyond the Clock: Medical, Rx, Dental and Vision Benefits on Day 1| Life Insurance and Disability Coverage | Paid Vacation/Employee Assistance Program

• Grow and Thrive Your Way: Business Resource Groups | Tuition Reimbursement | Professional Development

• Culture of Belonging: Support that starts on day one | Onboarding, training, and development to help you thrive | Recognition programs and employee events that bring us together

• Invest in Your Future: 401k Plan with Company Matching Contributions at 90 days | Employee Stock Purchase Program 

• More Perks, Just Because: 35% Discount on Cracker Barrel Food and Retail items | Exclusive Biscuit Perks like discounts on home, travel, cell phones, and more! 

A Little About Us

Since 1969, Cracker Barrel has been a place to gather around delicious food, abundant servings, unexpected finds, and a warm welcome. Over time, it's become even more - somewhere folks can reconnect and feel at home. With more than 70,000 team members nationwide, we take pride in our roots -- always serving up more than a meal.

See for yourself. Apply now.

Cracker Barrel is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualified applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, disability or any other class expressly protected by law.