Job Information
Barnes & Noble Education Buyer in BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey
Education - It's in Our DNA
At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.
We are seeking a Buyer to join our General Merchandise team and play a key role in shaping our merchandising strategies and assortment plans. This position involves managing the timely delivery of products, overseeing direct product placement and promotional displays, and supporting projects that enhance merchandising success. Additionally, the Buyer will explore new business opportunities, vet vendors, assess bids, and negotiate prices and terms to ensure the best value for purchased goods and services.
How You'll Make an Impact
Works with planning leads to construct seasonal merchandise plans and KPI targets.
Develops merchandise strategies and complex assortment plans that are inclusive of tactics by channel, store format, volume, region, and price tiers.
Work closely with vendors and negotiate all facets of product purchase, terms, rtv’s, rebate, price, moq, etc. Ensures vendor compliance and accountability by driving a collaborative partnership.
Leads team in operational excellence to ensure resolution of all internal issues as they relate to Web, Marketing, MIO, Pricing, A/P, etc, as well as, evaluate current process and take initiative to ensure we are working as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Manages Open to Buy, Gross Margin, Rebate, Placement fee and Markdown budget for area of responsibility.
Drives sales results and effective inventory management with pricing strategies that support margin targets and turn goals. Leads team to flawless execution on all activities.
Drives instore assortments, merchandising, planograms, and marketing needs.
Collaborates with stores on requests for new items, additions and special programs.
Communicates timely, effectively and proactively with stores to ensure their understanding of projects, goals, targets, and initiatives.
Co-leads team meetings with planner and ensures their effectiveness by reviewing current state of the business, projecting future results and driving to solutions and actions which result in meeting or exceeding budget components.
Prepares for and leads key milestone meetings to include Hindsight, style out, line reviews, and marketing collaboration meetings.
Responsible for creating and maintaining development plans and administering reviews for direct reports.
Additional responsibilities as required.
What You'll Need to Succeed
Minimum of 4 years of experience in buying and merchandising within a dynamic, multi-store retail setting.
Strong preference for experience with hard goods.
Demonstrated ability to drive results and maintain operational excellence in complex retail environments.
Possesses strong critical thinking and analytical skills, essential for solving complex problems and driving strategic decisions, to enhance efficiency andeffectiveness.
Strong understanding of retail mathematics.
Proficient in negotiating with external vendors on costs, markdowns, terms, returns, and rebates.
Effective team player with excellent communication skills, capable of building strong relationships and leading teams.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with intermediate to advanced Excel skills including the use of formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP, conditional formatting, INDEX/MATCH, etc.
Tech-savvy with the ability to quickly learn and adapt to company-specific software and tools.
Note:
This is a hybrid role, requiring both remote work and regular in-office attendance at our Basking Ridge, NJ location.
This position requires occasional travel for trade shows, vendor meetings, and visits to our campus store locations.
How We Elevate Our Employees
We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed specifically to support you in every aspect of your life. At BNED, we offer a variety of programs and resources to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of our employees by offering a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, which includes medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits.
The hiring rate for this position is $80000 - $87950 / year. The actual pay may vary based on a number of factors, including professional experience, hiring location, skills, competencies, etc.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
At Barnes & Noble Education we empower everyone. Our mission is to support students, faculty, and schools, serving as a catalyst to meet the evolving needs of the education system and a new generation of students. That starts with fostering an environment for our employees where diversity and individuality is celebrated.
Barnes & Noble Education is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to diversity in the workplace. In the spirit of inclusivity, qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, ability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, nationality, protected veteran status, race, religion or sexual orientation.
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Application Deadline
5/5/2024
Job Locations US-NJ-BASKING RIDGE
ID 2024-12682
Category Hidden (28087)
Position Type Regular FT