Assistant Buyer

Assistant Buyer -Beauty

Salary Range $62,400 - $71,200

Who We Are:

Saks is a world-renowned luxury e-commerce destination. The company’s unique approach combines a focus on the digital customer experience with a strong connection to a network of extraordinary stores that extends that seamless experience into the real world.

On its website and app, Saks offers an unparalleled selection of curated merchandise across fashion for women and men, beauty, jewelry, home décor and more. In addition to the shopping experience, customers come to Saks for inspiring editorial content, access to digital stylists, lifestyle experiences, and other world-class services. The company is currently in the midst of a dramatic expansion, driven by significant enhancements to its platforms and offerings, with the goal of becoming the preeminent destination for luxury internationally.

Role Summary:

The Assistant Buyer is a motivated individual who will participate in vendor selections and partnerships. The Assistant Buyer will assist in providing information for the monitoring of inventory productivity, and the analysis of vendor profitability while providing data and analysis for price changes, and assists in entering price changes on line. (2)

Role Description:

Core Merchandising Responsibilities:

• Responsible for pre-market analysis and attends market appointments
• Write preliminary bulk orders and do a first pass of ad hoc allocation, participate in review with DMM
• Responsible for checkbook management
• Assists in managing the timely placement and maintenance of purchase orders
• Executes pricing strategy based on promotion cadence
• Project, recap, and manage receipts and communicate to vendors to ensure company sales plans and inventory targets are met
• Builds and maintains ship sheets for monthly forecast
• Pulls and reviews reporting as well as Identifies opportunities on weekly reports on business/inventory trend, class, and price point analysis.
• Assist with in-season management for the brand portfolio including dropship, re-orders, and markdown, negotiating RTVs and swaps
• Support in managing a portfolio of brands or has experienced ownership of a category and/or area of the business.
• Ability to identify slow sellers (propose RTVS, swaps) and best sellers (propose reorders)
• Provides analysis to support the merchandise strategy and assists in product selection based on digital and store KPIs
• Assists in monitoring industry trends and evaluating competition
• Assists in setting up new items in the database
• Executes the Best/Worst Seller Review

Financial Planning and Markdowns:

• Recommends and communicates business opportunities and liabilities during OTB
• Supports the markdown projection process and provides information for internal projection and vendor negotiation
• Participates in the review of departmental topside financial plans

People Partnerships:

• Develops, maintains, and manages new and existing vendor relationships
• Partners with the digital lifecycle team and Item set-up team to ensure products are accurately added to the site
• Partners with Bangalore Merchandising team to oversee item lifecycle from start to finish, and partner on RTVs and pricing
• Work cross-functionally with Category Growth Pod counterparts/and marketing teams by reviewing assortment strategy, assisting in product pitches for marketing materials
• Partner with Store Planning on allocation and QR orders

Key Qualifications:

• Manages ambiguity well, self-starter, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Strong accountability, and ability to multitask and prioritize independently
• Generates a variety of approaches to problem solving quickly including new and novel ideas.
• Strong interpersonal skills and can be both direct and diplomatic and gain trust from others quickly.
• You often go above and beyond your goals. You are a consistent performer with a proven track record in driving positive outcomes through objectives and measures within a large complex organization.
• Manages ambiguity well, self a starter, and is able to prioritize multiple tasks at once
• Open to new perspectives and is willing to try new ways of working in our evolving business
• Strong knowledge of and ability to apply retail math concepts, including elements of markup, margin planning, open-to-buy, and inventory productivity measures (WOS, T/O, GMROI).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Excellent computer skills including MS Word and Excel, Powerpoint, Google Sheets/Docs/Slides
• Proficiency in systems (RFS, AMS, PCW, NuOrder)
• 1 - 2 years experience as an Assistant Buyer, preferably in a major department store.

Your Life and Career at Saks:

• Exposure to rewarding career advancement opportunities
• A culture that promotes a healthy, fulfilling work/life balance
• Benefits package for all eligible full-time employees (including medical, vision and dental).
• An amazing employee discount