Assistant Buying, Trend Cosmetics
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The Assistant Buyer is responsible for supporting the Buying team to drive sales, margin, turn and growth by devising and recommending assortment strategies and supporting assortment optimization. The position requires strong business acumen and an understanding of Merchandising. This role requires the ability to translate product performance data into recommended advertising strategies and featured product selections that will allow Macy’s to maximize sales, inventory and bottom line profitability to compete differently in a changing retail environment. Fundamental requirements include the ability to collaborate, take ownership of your business, and achieve results. Perform other duties as assigned.
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
The Assistant Buyer will be known as a trusted, collaborative and results-oriented business partner who possesses professional maturity and ability to build strong partnerships. The ideal candidate needs to be comfortable and effective at devising and recommending assortment strategies at department, class, and vendor levels.
The successful candidate will:
- Make “company first” decisions
- Ability to influence Merchant partners
- Develop self by participating in ongoing professional development and training.
- Take responsibility for own development plan and curriculum
- Develop innovative solutions to existing customer or Company challenges
- Openly accepts and seeks constructive direction for development from supervisor and leadership
- Self-motivated and demonstrates initiatives
- Relishes in a fast paced environment and is effective under pressure
- Leverage collaborative partnerships with counterparts to drive business strategies
Essential Functions:
In Season Forecasting & ROF
- Discuss weekly forecasts with Financial Planning to provide insights.
- Provide Buying Director with category, class and item performance analysis to assist in determining in-season item-level changes to make.
- Update receipts on order for ROF and review with Buying Director. Demonstrate ability to explain components of ROF.
- Reconcile orders with financial plans. Manage receipt flow to satisfy requirements of financial plan.
Assortment Vision, Strategy & Selection
- Demonstrate ability to explain customer lifestyle differences within each department.
- Develop assortment strategy for key items with Buying Director’s input.
- Track and recap key item performance independently and make recommendations to maximize business. Understand how key items financially impact the total business and how to move them forward.
- Participate in style out with the goal of being able to present assortments independently
- Recommend and execute assortment edits.
- Understand and utilize retail math formulas to calculate sell through, sell-off and weeks of supply to analyze performance. Identify best/worst sellers and key trends. Track selling by utilizing on-line systems and appropriate reports.
Vendors, Pricing, Marketing & Visual Merchandising Site/Stores
- Develop purchase orders and partners with Buying Director and Merchandise Planning and vendors to secure needed merchandise.
- Negotiate with vendors for on order quantities and ship date adjustments. Resolve shipping problems independently and communicate necessary issues to Buying Director.
- Maintain an industry presence that allows for connections, new business opportunities and ideas at Macy’s. Represent and support the Macy’s brand while maintaining this presence
- First point of contact with Vendor Community, Marketing, Visual, Stores, and Pricing.
- Communicate with vendors to ensure timely collection of MDAs/markdowns/RTVs and partner with Financial Planning to ensure alignment with in season VMT input.
- Partner with Pricing team on Pricing strategy and in-season adjustments.
- Regular, dependable attendance & punctuality. Qualifications:
Education/Experience:
- Bachelor's Degree (Business, Finance or equivalent).
- Ideally, 1-plus years of progressive experience in complex, best-in-class consumer and lifestyle oriented companies that ideally create emotional connections with their customers. This role requires a understanding of many functions including, Buying, Planning, Private Brands, Stores, Online.
Communication Skills:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence.
- Identifies opportunities and collaborates with business partners and upper management to implement ideas to improve business results.
Mathematical Skills:
- Basic understanding of financial performance metrics and assortment planning
- Strong analytical and excel skills
- Readily grasps numerical concepts and interprets financial information accurately
- Strong technical skills with excel proficiency
- Run and interpret reports and tools assigned by Buyer
Other Skills:
LEADERSHIP PROFILE
- Inspires, motivates, and influences the behavior of others to drive high performance
- Engages team to examine current practices and encourages creative thinking about how things could be more effective and efficient.
- Asserts own ideas and persuades others in a clear, confident, and composed manner. Tailors message for the audience and is able to gain support and commitment from others.
- Comfortable with taking risks and celebrating risk taking regardless of outcome
- Collaborative, consultative style with a strong ability to establish trust and build relationships across all levels and functions of the organization.
- Resilient, tenacious, high energy. Able to rapidly bounce back from adversity.
- Embraces change with realistic optimism and persists through challenges and setbacks caused by change.
Work Hours:
- Ability to work a flexible schedule based on department and store/company needs.
This job description is not all inclusive. Macy’s Inc. reserves the right to amend this job description at any time. Macy's Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.