Associate Buyers are responsible for a select part of the Buyer's overall business and must drive the merchandise strategy and assortments for this part of the business with the goal of meeting or exceeding sales, margin and turn targets. An Associate Buyer, with support from the Buyer, is responsible for the purchase and negotiation of merchandise for their business areas. Associate Buyers partner with Planners and Sourcing Managers to develop strategies to maximize business opportunities and manage the open-to-buy and analyze business trends. Key Roles and Responsibilities * Develop and execute merchandise strategies and assortment plans in partnership with Buyer/ Sr. Buyer, Planner and Sourcing Manger, based on customer preferences, to deliver financial goals and business objectives * React quickly and decisively to business opportunities to achieve and consistently maintain positive comp sales growth and increased comp margin * Partners with Buyer/ Sr. Buyer and Planner on development of merchandise financial plans and by-door assortment strategy by providing regular and timely input * Effectively manage inventory and identify risks in assortment in partnership with Buyer and Planner * Build and maintain strong partnerships with product partners * In partnership with Buyer/ Sr. Buyer, responsible for product development and selection of merchandise supporting department strategy * Partner with direct sourcing on achieving margin improvement opportunities & negotiation of best costs * Optimize product partner matrix in partnership with direct sourcing * Identify business opportunities and risks in-season through analyzing sales performance and gathering marketplace information in partnership with Buyer and Planner; Implement strategies to ensure plans are achieved * Partner with Buyer/ Sr. Buyer and Planner on open-to-buy process to manage business in-season and maximize opportunities * Review markdown candidates and make suggestions on additions/deletions in partnership with Buyer/ Sr. Buyer and Planner * Ensures deadlines and processes within the buying office are followed to meet company deadlines and timelines * Travel to all necessary markets and identify product opportunities * Supports initiatives to develop and maintain best practices to constantly improve efficacy and efficiency of the merchandising organization * Leads development and implementation of reinventions, visual initiatives, EDLP + and collaborations including coordination with cross - functional partners * Partner with Marketing and Digital to achieve strategic business objectives Qualifications and Competencies * Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required * 3-5 years of retail buying, planning or related experience * Possesses strong merchandising, product and marketing skills * Demonstrate strong analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills * Ability develop/maintain strong working relationship with peers and cross-functional teams * Demonstrates leadership and decision-making skills * Demonstrates strong listening, written and oral communication skills * Willing and able to travel for market and store trips * Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities * Possesses a clear understanding of the supply chain: product development, sourcing, packaging and shipping * Able to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadline * Takes calculated risks to achieve results * Develops creative solutions to business issues * Identifies emerging trends and shops competition and market regularly