JOB SUMMARY 

The Associate Buyer is responsible for creating and executing merchandise strategies in partnership with the Buyer/Sr. Buyer to deliver Product Proud assortments to meet or exceed sales, margin and turn requirements. This Includes assortment selection & management, product development and go to market efforts (includes marketing, in store visual etc.). In addition, the Associate Buyer partners with key functional peers including Planner, Sourcing Managers and Visual Team to implement strategies maximizing business opportunities pre-season, during season and post-season.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

Merchandising Strategy and Product Development  

Develop and execute merchandise strategies in partnership with Buyer/Sr. Buyer; Includes assortment management and customer facing visual and storytelling ideas  

Responsible for supporting Buyer/ Sr. Buyer in Product Development vision in conjunction with a sourcing manager who administers the processes and timelines 

Travel and time in market for trend identification, category expertise and white space opportunities. 

Vendor Relationships  

Work with National Brand product partners to understand the market, the category, and to carefully curate assortments leveraging their expertise. 

In partnership with sourcing, who manages the vendor matrix, maintain relationships with key private label product partners to deliver product proud assortments, collaboratively drive business results and represent the At Home brand professionally in the market. 

Financial Planning, Data Analysis, Inventory & Reporting 

Provide insights and actively participate in the OTB process to drive category P&L in collaboration with the Sr. Buyer/ Buyer and the Sr. Planner/Planner 

Assist with analyzing purchasing trends, sales data, and supplier performance; Includes recommendations on action to take pre-season, during season and post-season 

Provide a point of view on assortment changes based on market assessment, prediction of purchasing needs, and productivity assessment of sales data  

Cross-Department Collaboration: 

Partner with Marketing, Digital and Packaging teams to achieve strategic business objectives and Go to Market vision 

Work closely with planning, sourcing, & visual teams to align Merchandising with company goals; Alex- please note Supply Chain is not included on here as the relationship shifts from Merch to sourcing in ownership of this  

Support Buyer/ Sr. Buyer with strategic initiatives and applicable milestone meetings  

QUALIFICATIONS 

A Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is considered.  

3-5 years’ experience in retail buying/ merchandising, planning, or related experience 

Product Development Ability; Creative and innovative skillset 

Ability to identify emerging trends and shops competition and market regularly 

Strong leadership and critical thinking skills 

Ability to develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships 

Communicates and translates information in a well thought-out, concise, and easy to understand manner in both verbal and written form 

Demonstrates effective organizational skills and good time management 

Willing to travel for market and store trips 

Innate curiosity and passion for product and customer satisfaction