Assistant Buyer, Accessories
About The Position
The Assistant Buyer, Accessories, participates in vendor selections and partnerships and supports inventory productivity monitoring, vendor profitability analysis, price-change analysis, and online price changes. The role works with Buyers, Associate Buyers, brand partners, Planning Allocation, offshore Merchandise Assistants, and other teams to manage orders, prepare for market, analyze in-season business, and execute pricing and markdown activity. Responsibilities include gathering and confirming order details, maintaining buy sheets, overseeing purchase-order creation and transmission, coordinating allocations and receipt-flow updates, and resolving order discrepancies. The Assistant Buyer also prepares market insights, coordinates appointments, supports style-out sessions, and helps develop strategic product assortments. In-season, the role monitors performance and shares style-level insights, recommends actions, supports monthly open-to-buy preparation, manages markdown cadence and price-change execution, coordinates custom buying reports, and responds to execution questions from internal teams and brand partners.
Requirements
- Manages ambiguity well, is a self-starter, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrates accountability and can multitask and prioritize independently.
- Generates varied approaches to problem solving quickly, including new ideas.
- Has strong interpersonal skills and can be direct yet diplomatic, gaining trust quickly.
- Has a record of driving positive outcomes against objectives and measures in a large, complex organization and regularly exceeds goals.
- Is open to new perspectives and willing to try new ways of working in an evolving business.
- Has strong knowledge of retail math and can apply markup, margin planning, open-to-buy, and inventory productivity measures such as WOS, turnover, and GMROI.
- Has strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Communicates effectively verbally and in writing.
- Has excellent computer skills, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides.
- Is proficient in RFS, AMS, PCW, and NuOrder systems.
- Has 1–2 years of experience as an Assistant Buyer, preferably at a major department store.
Responsibilities
- Gather and confirm order details with Buyers, Associate Buyers, and brand partners, including item and shipping details, delivery schedules, and order priorities; update buy sheets and resolve discrepancies.
- Oversee offshore Merchandise Assistants’ creation and transmission of purchase orders to brand partners, ensuring accuracy and timely delivery; oversee related communications and resolve or escalate issues.
- Provide allocation direction to the Planning Allocation team and help manage allocations for high-touch categories such as Designer.
- Communicate receipt-flow changes to the offshore team and ensure purchase orders accurately reflect ship windows, quantities, and on-order inventory.
- Prepare Buyers for market by working with Planners on historical performance, trends, and customer-preference insights; coordinate market appointments and periodically attend the New York market.
- Support Buyer style-out sessions by coordinating logistics and preparing insights for assortment presentations.
- Initiate development of strategic product assortments to drive sales and brand growth.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for execution questions and feedback from brand partners and teams including visual merchandising, site merchandising, stores, digital, marketing, and planning.
- Review business performance with Assistant Planners, communicate bottoms-up style insights to Buyers, recommend in-season actions, and help prepare monthly open-to-buy activity.
- Manage markdown cadence and oversee offshore execution of price changes and returns to vendor (RTVs); resolve escalated issues.
- Collaborate with the offshore reporting team to generate custom buying reports, maintain structural changes to report views, and ensure delivery on schedule.
- Provide information for inventory productivity monitoring and vendor profitability analysis, analyze price changes, and assist with entering price changes online.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Basic life insurance
- Supplemental life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Additional voluntary benefits, such as critical illness, hospital, and accident insurance
- Employee discount
- Career advancement opportunities
- Comprehensive benefits package for eligible full-time employees
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
