Retail Buying & Strategy Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Why Join CRISP CANNABIS?

At CRISP CANNABIS, we operate at the intersection of commercial strategy, quality, and market leadership. As Connecticut's cannabis industry continues to expand, we are looking for an analytical, forward-thinking Retail Buying & Strategy Manager to own our product assortment, vendor relationships, and purchasing execution across all retail locations.

Your Impact

The Retail Buying & Strategy Manager owns the retail buying and product assortment process across Crisp Cannabis locations. This is a hands-on role responsible for evaluating what our customers are buying, determining what products and brands we should carry, negotiating and executing purchases within established budgets, and planning ahead to maintain the right product variety, inventory depth, pricing, and promotional opportunities.

This position is responsible for more than placing orders. The Retail Buying & Strategy Manager follows purchasing decisions from initial opportunity through retail execution and sell-through, using internal sales performance, Trendz and other available market data, vendor relationships, customer demand, competitive activity, promotional calendars, and future company plans to continuously improve what we buy and how it performs. The position works closely with the Purchasing & Inventory Manager, Retail Operations Manager, Wholesale Sales Manager, Marketing Manager, store leadership, and other departments to ensure buying strategies are properly planned, communicated, supported, and ultimately successful with the customer.

What You'll Do (Personnel Duties, Authority, and Responsibilities)

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other responsibilities and projects may be assigned for the overall benefit of the organization.

Retail Buying & Assortment

• Perform and manage retail purchasing across all Crisp Cannabis retail locations within established budgets and company strategy.
• Maintain appropriate product variety across brands, categories, formats, price points, potency ranges, and customer preferences.
• Use sales velocity, inventory position, margin, historical performance, customer demand, and market data to determine what to purchase and in what quantity.
• Regularly evaluate SKU and category performance and identify products that should be expanded, reduced, replaced, or discontinued.
• Maintain sufficient product depth without overbuying, unnecessary SKU duplication, excessive aging inventory, or avoidable markdowns.
• Balance third-party purchasing with Crisp Cannabis house-brand availability and company vertical-integration goals.

Strategic & Forward Purchasing

• Develop forward purchasing plans based on upcoming promotions, seasonal demand, product launches, internal production, market trends, store needs, and company growth plans.
• Utilize Trendz, Dutchie, internal reporting, vendor information, and other available tools to identify developing customer and market trends.
• Identify products, brands, categories, and purchasing opportunities before demand or availability changes.
• Negotiate advance buys, product commitments, promotional opportunities, pricing, and other favorable terms when they support company goals.
• Work within defined purchasing budgets and provide visibility into significant planned purchases and future commitments.

Vendor & Market Management

• Maintain strong working relationships with Connecticut cannabis suppliers and serve as Crisp's primary retail buying contact.
• Negotiate product cost, volume opportunities, promotional support, payment terms, launch support, and other purchasing benefits.
• Maintain current knowledge of new products, vendor activity, competitor assortments, pricing trends, and broader Connecticut cannabis market conditions.
• Evaluate vendors based on product performance, reliability, pricing, customer demand, service, and overall value.
• Bring meaningful market opportunities, risks, and recommendations forward to leadership.

Promotions, Pricing & Product Flow

• Work with Retail Operations and Marketing to plan purchasing around the promotional calendar and broader retail strategy.
• Ensure adequate inventory is available to properly support promotions, product launches, featured brands, and other retail initiatives.
• Coordinate vendor-supported promotions and purchasing opportunities in advance.
• Monitor performance after launch or promotion and determine whether the expected sales velocity, margin, and inventory movement were achieved.
• Identify underperforming products early and work with Retail Operations and Marketing on pricing, promotional, merchandising, education, or other corrective strategies.
• Apply previous sales and promotional results to future purchasing decisions.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with the Purchasing & Inventory Manager to understand inventory position, aging, transfers, product flow, receiving needs, and purchasing requirements while maintaining clear ownership of the commercial buying function.
• Work closely with the Retail Operations Manager to understand store performance, customer behavior, operational needs, product opportunities, and execution.
• Work closely with the Marketing Manager to coordinate product launches, promotions, campaigns, vendor support, and customer communication.
• Work closely with the Wholesale Sales Manager to exchange market intelligence, vendor information, competitive pricing, product trends, and broader Connecticut market feedback.
• Communicate significant purchasing plans, new products, promotions, and category strategies early enough for affected departments and stores to properly prepare and execute.
• Maintain responsibility for following major purchasing initiatives through the organization rather than considering the process complete once inventory is purchased.

Reporting & Performance

• Monitor purchasing performance, including sales velocity, sell-through, days on hand, inventory aging, margin, category performance, promotional results, and vendor performance.
• Maintain purchasing forecasts and budget visibility.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations to leadership regarding assortment, purchasing opportunities, inventory risks, category trends, and market conditions.
• Measure the results of significant purchasing decisions and use those results to continuously improve future buying strategy.
• Maintain organized purchasing, vendor, pricing, promotional, and commitment records.

What You Bring (Qualifications)

• Experience in retail buying, purchasing, merchandising, category management, or comparable retail operations.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Cannabis retail or Connecticut cannabis market experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of retail product assortment, pricing, margin, sales velocity, and inventory performance.
• Demonstrated vendor negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Strong analytical ability and comfort making recommendations from sales and market data.
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills.
• Experience with Dutchie, BioTrack, Trendz, or similar systems preferred.
• Strong communication, organization, judgment, and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively across multiple departments.
• Ability to manage a significant purchasing process and budget without requiring direct personnel supervision.
• Travel Requirements: This role requires regular travel, up to 75%, depending on business and market needs. The individual may be working from any of our retail locations, the corporate office, vendor or partner locations, or other off-site meetings throughout Connecticut.
• Must pass all state-mandated background checks and obtain required credentialing.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to maintain focus, talk, or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers and handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; carry; push; pull; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is regularly exposed to strong cannabis odors and is frequently required to handle cannabis products. Exposure to environmental particles such as pollen and plant pathogens. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Note

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at-will" relationship.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, intellectual or learning disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, past or present history of mental disorder, pregnancy, reproductive health decisions, age, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal guidelines.

Due to industry compliance requirements, final candidates must successfully complete a post-offer background check and meet state licensing/credentialing criteria.