Buyer

THE POSITION As Buyer, you will be an experienced, highly motivated, results oriented, creative merchant who can develop and execute a product vision, and source exceptional products and packaging.   This candidate should be highly analytical with a strong track record of driving growth and comfortable using data to drive decisions.    Primary Duties & Responsibilities: Source, develop, and manage dynamic product assortments that support the departmental and store goals, align with our partner institutions, and maximize sales potential   Work closely with VP Purchasing and Assistant Buyer to develop and implement cohesive well-rounded product assortments Develop custom product development, both domestic and import Analyze business pre, in, and post season to drive action Assist with building the global supply chain for select categories Vision and assortment planning for key departments and stores Works closely with the visual merchandising team on display and signage to assist with product execution (as needed) Initiate competitive shopping and analyze sales trends Travel to appropriate trade shows, vendor showrooms, and factories on a regular basis Visit stores to evaluate merchandise mix, and meet with venue partners to ensure a full understanding of the venue experience and partner needs and objectives Negotiate with vendors in order to achieve best possible price and terms, delivery, and quality of product while building and maintaining healthy, strong vendor relationships Meet or exceed revenue, SKU count, inventory, and margin goals Monitor and analyze performance versus plan to identify trends, organic growth, demographic, item, and category opportunities Work closely with VP Purchasing on overall inventory health and new product approvals Train, motivate and develop Assistant Buyers as needed to ensure performance and personal growth Work closely with internal product development/graphics team on creative art and product development Special projects as assigned   Skills / Qualifications: Minimum 3 years of retail product buying and product development experience Experience in buying for Non-Profit Cultural attractions a plus Managerial / leadership experience a plus Full understanding of the technical and logistical aspects of product sourcing and custom product development.  Direct Import buying experience a plus Strong negotiation skills and ability to build and develop strong, long-term business relationships Strong math and analytical skills and a full understanding of retail buying metrics Highly proficient in Microsoft Office; Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with the ability to adapt to internal systems, tools, and programs Strong entrepreneurial skills with a desire for continuous professional growth Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Bi-lingual a plus Must be accurate, detail oriented, organized, assertive, with the ability to prioritize and multi-task Must be self-motivated, responsible, and able to work independently as well as part of a team Bachelor of Arts or Science degree or equivalent industry experience   Physical Demands – The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the Buyer is frequently required to stand; walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

Salary : $80,000 - $90,000