Assistant Buyer-HYBRID

Designer Brands Inc.•Columbus, OH

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is where data, product, and customer insight come together. As an Assistant Buyer, you’ll play a critical role in helping shape the assortments customers see and love—supporting buying decisions that directly impact sales, inventory flow, and in-store experience. Partnering closely with the Buyer, you’ll turn strategy into action by managing day-to-day execution in the buying office. You’ll analyze performance, track orders, support vendor communication, and help the team stay agile as the business evolves. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working behind the scenes of merchandising, is curious about retail trends, and wants to grow toward owning a piece of the business over time. This position is HYBRID based in Columbus, OH.

Requirements

Strong attention to detail with an organized, methodical approach.
Clear written and verbal communication skills with reliable follow-up.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Collaborative mindset and comfort working across teams.
Previous retail experience (a plus).
Bachelor’s degree in Retail Merchandising, Marketing, or a related business field.

Nice To Haves

Intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and Word.
Ability and interest in learning MicroStrategy and other merchandising systems.

Responsibilities

Analyze selling reports and share insights by style and color to support buying decisions.
Prepare recaps of business performance, including recommended actions, for weekly share-outs and hindsight meetings.
Support the buying team in reacting to current business trends with timely insights.
Provide competitive intelligence, trend observations, pricing insights, and style analysis.
Manage Open to Buy (OTB) changes and maintain accurate tracking.
Partner proactively with the buying team to meet vendor order deadlines.
Enter orders accurately, selecting appropriate product attributes and following assortment strategy.
Support shifts, reorders, and cancellations in partnership with the Buyer or vendor.
Process closeout orders, including competitive analysis, suggested cost and retail, and OTB management.
Localize assortments by store group using relevant sales trend information.
Work cross-functionally with Planning to align on distribution strategy.
Support both preseason and in-season execution to ensure key item deliveries are timely and appropriate.
Manage and support the outdate (markdown) process with data-driven recommendations.
Communicate directly with vendor partners on purchase order deliveries, style details, and sample management.
Review PO tracking reports to ensure shipments align with marketing timing.
Identify and recommend solutions for shipping issues.
Maintain the Marketing sample document and coordinate sample requests with vendors.
Collaborate with Marketing on sample submissions and timelines.
Prepare reports and documentation and attend vendor appointments as needed.
Partner with the buying team to understand annual and seasonal financial planning.
With guidance from the Buyer, work toward “owning” a subclass within a larger category over time.