Junior Buyer

JUNIOR BUYER

Employment Type: Full Time

Supervisor: Buyer

Location: Dubuque Corporate Office

Job Description

Daily activities would include purchasing products, maintaining inventory and partnering with advertising. Implement and learn strategies that deliver on key financial metrics such as sales, gross margin, and inventory turnover. A Junior Buyer will be responsible for a specific product or line within their assigned Buyers area of responsibility. Limited direct purchasing responsibility by dollar volume of no more than 50% of a Buyer’s position or no more than $10M whichever is higher. This position provides an opportunity for learning and future growth within the Purchasing Department.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s or 2-4 year degree preferred

Experience: 1-3 years related experience preferred

Job Duties

Perform fulfillment duties of Associate Buyer for perspective category at a high level of competency.

Financials

• Manage the category to create the biggest impact on gross margin through leveraging of sales, inventory, and financial strategies.
• Monitor and correct pricing on products.
• Lead a sales driven culture within the stores.

Merchandise

• Utilize Line Reviews to manage the product line with a goal of creating a customer driven assortment by driving costout, creating strategic planograms, and eliminating product redundancy.
• Work cross functionally throughout the organization to facilitate sales driven product layouts, location, and merchandising improvements.
• Manage the inventory turnover of the category with a focus on eliminating over stocks, redundancy, and to create better flow from the warehouse.
• Monitor competitors for similar items and prices.
• Manage special orders, transfers and shipping errors within the category.
• Analyze trend reports with the goal of better understanding product sales. This may result in the development of an action plan increase sales or improve inventory productivity.

Vendors

• Stay abreast of industry trends by attending trade shows.
• Actively search for new suppliers, to create a competitive vendor culture and enhance value proposition.
• Cultivate and maintain a relationship with the vendor in order to review new merchandise and maintain current supply within area of responsibility.
• Negotiate financial incentives and pricing with the vendor that are beneficial to Theisen’s.
• Invite current and potential vendors to participate in Line Reviews for area of responsibility.
• Negotiate vendor product lifts/buy backs.

Stores

• Tour stores to assess issues with sales, inventory turnover, and planograms.
• Maintain a relationship with the stores to determine product opportunities within the category line.
• Follow up on store requests and questions with a sense of urgency.
• Act on product requests from stores.

Ad Preparation

• Develop a marketing strategies for the category of business.
• Analyze the outcome of previously advertised items to assess impact.
• Determine promotional prices on the product.
• Ensure that inventory levels are within the acceptable levels for the length of the ad.
• Clearly communicate with advertising at every step in the ad preparation process.
• Proofreading ads for accuracy.
• Continually analyze the ad’s effectiveness and inventory movement during the ad run.

Other duties as requested by management.

BENEFITS

Eligible for:

• Competitive match on 401K
• Health, dental, vision, flexible spending account
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Life insurance
• PTO, holiday, and birthday-off pay
• Associate discount and many other benefits

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Frequent physical demands include sitting, standing, walking, dexterity, and light grasping. Occasional physical demands include lifting up to 25 lbs., bending, stooping, reaching, kneeling, squatting, climbing stairs and firmly grasping. The employee is required to accept incoming calls and must be able to hear and speak. Specific vision abilities required by this job include vision adequate for the incumbent to perform the responsibilities and functions of the job efficiently. The associate must have the manual dexterity to manually operate and use a computer and other basic office equipment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND WORKING CONDITIONS

This position will be performed inside a climate-controlled office facility. The noise level is low to medium and typical of an office environment. Potential hazards include electrical hazards. Atmospheric conditions are typical of an office environment and may include exposure to odors and dust.

Theisen’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a veteran, or any other federal, state or local protected class.