Buyer

ABOUT THE ROLE  As a Buyer (Full-Time), you’ll bring a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and strong analytical skills to develop compelling product assortments that drive growth and elevate the guest experience.    This is your opportunity to lead product sourcing, development, and planning while collaborating across departments and maintaining key vendor relationships.   Key Responsibilities:  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   Qualifications & Skills:  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 Requirements:  This role requires the ability to: Sit, stand, walk, and use hands frequently. Occasionally reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Lift and move up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to support individuals with disabilities in performing essential functions.