Buyer

MillerKnoll•Stamford, CT

About The Position

As a key member of the Design Within Reach Merchandising team, your role as Buyer is to develop seasonal assortment strategies and curate a disruptive and successful product assortment that represents the tenants of the Design Within Reach brand while increasing sales and achieving profit goals.

Requirements

5+ years buying experience
Passion for modern design
4 year college degree or equivalent experience
Digital buying experience
Strong negotiation skills
Show strong initiative and maintain a sense of pride over work results
Passionate about all things product and modern design

Responsibilities

Manage complex vendor portfolio, including identifying and onboarding new vendors and leading existing vendor relationships while exploring opportunities for growth and increased profitability.
Conduct regular strategic product reviews to maximize and expand the assortment.
Assess sales potential for new product introductions, weighing input from Product Development, Inventory, and Marketing counterparts, and work with Creative Director to establish determination of aesthetic fit.
Draft and build design briefs to fill assortment and market needs.
In-depth review of product samples and product development prototypes to confirm proposed introductions. Meet all DWR standards for: build quality, ease of assembly, packaging standards, comfort, and value.
Analyze product performance developing merchandising strategies to achieve revenue and margin goals.
Work with Inventory planners to establish annual volume projections and initial buy for new product introductions.
Build and present seasonal strategic business plan, with Product Development and Inventory counterparts, to department heads in quarterly planning meetings.
Maintain acute awareness of competitive landscape, always looking for opportunities to keep the assortment fresh.
Provide relevant product knowledge and sales information to the sales team through regularly occurring product training presentations.
Proof catalog, web, and several other marketing materials to ensure content is appropriate and accurate and the designer and manufacturer story is conveyed effectively and factually.
Monitor product return levels, presenting actions taken to resolve any issues during quarterly returns meeting.
Visit DWR studio locations to understand client and AE feedback and ensure product presentation meets visual standards. Work with Visual Merchandising team to address inconsistencies with the DWR visual directive.
Review web merchandising and product sort priority and adjust to support company priorities.
Manage workload and daily activities of Assistant and Associate Buyer.
Travel to review prototypes, visit trade shows, and source new products.