Creative Retail Sourcing Specialist

Preference will be given to qualified employees, as defined in the Full-Time Support Staff Collective Agreement. Should a suitable candidate not be found, external candidates will be considered.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, Campus Services, the Creative Retail Sourcing Specialist is responsible for executing sourcing strategies to reduce costs and analyzing vendor spend. The incumbent has strong knowledge of retail math, plays a key role in shaping the unique identity of the Campus Store by curating and sourcing a diverse range of fashion, lifestyle, art supplies, gift products, course-required supplies, kits, uniforms, as well as general supplies, and general merchandise that resonate with our student body, campus community, and brand values.

This role blends trend awareness, supplier relations, and retail strategy to ensure an engaging, on-brand, and dynamic product assortment. The incumbent will work closely with merchandising, marketing, and store operations teams to bring in high-quality, sustainable, and locally relevant products that enhance the overall retail experience.

Collaborating with various departments and faculty, the incumbent will ensure the timely execution of orders. The incumbent ensures the availability and accuracy of inventory for sale in the Campus Store and the online retail platform. The incumbent assists with sales and merchandising strategies such as setting up displays, creating and executing promotional plans and shipping and receiving procedures.

• Executing the purchasing activities of all Campus Store general merchandise, apparel, art supplies, kits, and uniform requirements for all college programs by:
  • Creating an ongoing schedule of activities and tasks to meet deadlines and handling pricing, inventory management, stock replenishment, returns, markdowns, and customer service concerns;
  • Processing adoptions into store inventory management system and troubleshooting as required while preparing and maintaining a master list of supplies, kits, and uniform adoptions, and following up with departments regularly to ensure adoption submissions are received on time;
  • Reviewing enrollment statistics and historical sell-through data to ensure cost- effective purchasing and researching market pricing, product specifications, and availability of stock, and updating the inventory management system accordingly;
  • Communicating any necessary updates to program coordinators and faculty with strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of retail math to drive profitability and optimize inventory performance;
  • Being accountable for inventory control, returns, markdowns, and write-offs etc. to effectively manage inventory levels, executing receiving functions and solve any shipping discrepancies that might arise;
• Executing Visual Merchandising, Planograms and Promotion in-store and online by:
  • Maintaining proper merchandise signage and ticketing for store shelves by observing displays of company products;
    • Removing damaged or freshness-dated products;
    • Tidying store shelves;
    • Providing optimum display of products;
  • Maximizing sales by identifying sales opportunities and promotions;
    • Studying product turnover;
    • Evaluating and redesigning floor plans and flow strategies;
    • Recommending liquidations;
    • Maintaining assortment and replenishment profiles;
    • Auditing buyer decisions;
• Event planning and vendor relations:
  • Attending vendor meetings and trade shows to stay apprised of current trends in the college retail sector, and establish relationships with vendors;
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

You have the skills and knowledge to work with an increasingly diverse student and staff population as well as a proven commitment to anti-oppression, equity, and…