BLICK ART MATERIALS Assistant Buyer Salary in the United States

Who we are…

Founded in 1911, Blick Art Materials is in its third generation of family ownership, and is the largest and oldest provider of art supplies in the United States.

Our Mission…

At Blick Art Materials, our family owners and dedicated staff support the Visual Art Community by providing the widest selection of art supplies at the lowest prices. With extraordinary service and integrity, we strive to provide artists, educators, students, and our employees with the tools, assistance, and training they need to grow, innovate, and reach their creative potential.

Your Role…

Summary:  The successful applicant will support their Senior Category Manager in all aspects of the buying role, from purchasing decisions to sales analysis.  You will also be given buying responsibilities for an appropriate section of your overall categories.  This will provide training and allow you to demonstrate your skills and potential based on actual results. This position requires a strong attention to detail and ability to multi-task on a variety of projects.

Applicants:  The applicant should be extremely hard working and resourceful, organized and creative.  Applicants should be ambitious and committed to Blick and our customer base, continuously striving to improve internal processes and our customer service.  There is a certain amount of administrative work in this role so applicants should have experience with reporting and excel.  In order to secure an interview, applicants must provide ideas and insight into potential category growth for Blick.

Major Position Responsibilities:

• Provide analytical, creative and managerial support to the Senior Category Manager
• Execute vendor/ product follow-up for the Senior Category Manager
• Source, review, select and develop new products in conjunction with Senior Category Manager
• Develop and maintain merchandise assortment for assigned area of responsibility consistent with financial plan and marketing trends
• Work in partnership with the purchasing team and stores to maintain inventory levels, improve turns and reduce obsolete goods
• Responsible for addressing all internal (Blick)and external (customer / new vendor) product inquiries
• Responsible for processing all promotional information for print, retail and web channels
• Manage samples; incoming requests from vendors & outgoing to art department and outlet store
• Assist Senior Category Manager with resolving pricing, quality and service of supply issues
• Provide analysis of products to ensure optimal assortments across the chain
• Work with Buyer in documenting vendor meetings, trade shows and store visit follow up
• Ensure vendor compliance for quality, packaging, labeling and governmental standards (MSDS/SDS; CPSIA)
• Responsible for negotiating resolution for quality control / defective merchandise
• Work with other internal departments as needed
• Flexible to work on any departmental or company project as assigned by management
• Perform category management duties in CM absence

Required skills and experience:

• Four year on campus college degree
• 2 -3 years relevant work experience
• Ability to work independently while handling multiple projects concurrently
• Flexibility in schedule to meet deadlines which may include overnight and weekend work or travel
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Detail orientated and analytical
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, Excel -particularly pivot tables, vlookup other formulas and PowerPoint