Associate Buyer

JOB SUMMARY

The Associate Buyer is responsible for creating and executing merchandise strategies in partnership with the Buyer/Sr. Buyer to deliver Product Proud assortments to meet or exceed sales, margin and turn requirements. This Includes assortment selection & management, product development and go to market efforts (includes marketing, in store visual etc.). In addition, the Associate Buyer partners with key functional peers including Planner, Sourcing Managers and Visual Team to implement strategies maximizing business opportunities pre-season, during season and post-season.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Merchandising Strategy and Product Development

• Develop and execute merchandise strategies in partnership with Buyer/Sr. Buyer;
  Includes assortment management and customer facing visual and storytelling ideas

• Responsible for supporting Buyer/ Sr. Buyer in Product Development vision in conjunction with a sourcing manager who administers the processes and timelines

• Travel and time in market for trend identification, category expertise and white space opportunities.

• Vendor Relationships

• Work with National Brand product partners to understand the market, the category, and to carefully curate assortments leveraging their expertise.

• In partnership with sourcing, who manages the vendor matrix, maintain relationships with key private label product partners to deliver product proud assortments, collaboratively drive business results and represent the At Home brand professionally in the market.

• Financial Planning, Data Analysis, Inventory & Reporting

• Provide insights and actively participate in the OTB process to drive category P&L in collaboration with the Sr. Buyer/ Buyer and the Sr. Planner/Planner

• Assist with analyzing purchasing trends, sales data, and supplier performance;
  Includes recommendations on action to take pre-season, during season and post-season

• Provide a point of view on assortment changes based on market assessment, prediction of purchasing needs, and productivity assessment of sales data

• Cross-Department Collaboration:

• Partner with Marketing, Digital and Packaging teams to achieve strategic business objectives and Go to Market vision

• Work closely with planning, sourcing, & visual teams to align Merchandising with company goals;
  Alex- please note Supply Chain is not included on here as the relationship shifts from Merch to sourcing in ownership of this

• Support Buyer/ Sr. Buyer with strategic initiatives and applicable milestone meetings

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is considered.

• 3-5 years’ experience in retail buying/ merchandising, planning, or related experience

• Product Development Ability;
  Creative and innovative skillset

• Ability to identify emerging trends and shops competition and market regularly

• Strong leadership and critical thinking skills

• Ability to develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships

• Communicates and translates information in a well thought-out, concise, and easy to understand manner in both verbal and written form

• Demonstrates effective organizational skills and good time management

• Willing to travel for market and store trips

• Innate curiosity and passion for product and customer satisfaction