Assistant Men's Buyer & Visual Merchandiser

The Assistant Buyer & Visual Merchandiser at Montana Supply is a salaried full-time year-round employee who is responsible for supporting buyers with all purchasing-related tasks, purchase order writing & management, monitoring inventory, and creating attractive retail displays that facilitate product sell-through.

Primary Duties 

The main responsibilities of the Assistant Buyer and Visual Merchandiser (from this point forward referred to as ‘The Employee’) can be broken down in to three categories: Visual Merchandising, Purchase Order Writing & Other Administrative Tasks, and Inventory Monitoring & Procurement.

Visual Merchandising:

40% of the Employee’s time should be spent assisting the buyers with creating and maintaining visual displays: 

• Ensure the store’s visual appearance is maintained to the highest standard
• Bring newly received product to the sales floor and create new displays daily
• Working directly with brands to create seasonal window displays, using co-op dollars and other brand assistance to keep window display costs to a minimum
• Assist with the creation and implementation of visual merchandising strategies for the store, which are to be rotated based upon seasonality, stock levels, etc
• Generate proposals for quarterly window displays that meet the store’s visual design expectations
• Source visual merchandising materials, fixtures and accessories for displays
• Install and set up windows, in-store displays, and/or supervise contractors hired for this purpose
• Researching lifestyle and design trends that will guide visual merchandising strategy
• Monitoring costs and working within merchandising budget

Purchase Order Creation & Other Administrative Tasks:

20% of the Employee’s time should be spent reviewing purchase orders for accuracy and assisting Buyers with Purchase Order entry as requested:

• Work directly with Buyers & Accounts Payable Specialist to receive purchase order entry requests
• Submit drafted purchase orders to buyers for review and approval
• Adjusting prices based upon GMROI targets & vendor changes
• Completing new vendor applications and submitting N30 account credit requests
• Overseeing the timely return of vendor return authorizations, assisting the Accounts Payable Specialist as needed

Inventory Monitoring & Procurement:

40% of the Employee’s time should be spent:

• Attending tradeshows
• Attending monthly meetings with Inventory Analyst
• Proposing new assortments based upon market research
• Running reports for assigned categories on a weekly basis, ensuring that GMROI & sales targets are being achieved
• Adjusting stock & ordering levels based upon sales forecasts
• Auditing vendors on a monthly basis to ensure that they are all meeting GMROI targets, and coming up with solutions to manage brands that are not meeting targets
• Checking stock levels of essential operations supplies and request and/or place orders as needed

Skills, Competencies and Other Expectations

To execute the job duties described above, the Assistant Buyer & Visual Merchandiser at Montana Supply is expected to meet or exceed the following requirements: 

Skills:

For the sake of this description, a skill is an action the individual may be asked to perform based upon previous knowledge and/or qualifications they have obtained. 

• Working knowledge of visual merchandising trends and best practices
• An advanced level of Lightspeed Retail Point of Sale knowledge
• Ability to analyze sales reports

Competencies:

For the sake of this description, a competency is a trait or attribute the candidate is expected to display within the role.  

• A reliable team player who consistently displays punctuality, transparent honesty, loyalty, and compassion towards teammates.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• An individual who gains the trust and respect of their co-workers through their actions and work performance
• Capable of establishing and maintaining relationships with co-workers and customers 
• Able to work with a team towards a common goal
• Comfortable giving, receiving, and integrating feedback
• Consistently treating every team member with equal respect
• A self-starter who shows an interest in the perpetual improvement of Montana Supply

Other Expectations:

• As a salaried Employee, flexible working hours may be required at times for the Employee to meet their job expectations. This may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and some holidays.
• The Employee will be required to travel nationally and is expected to manage their time off requests around mandatory travel dates.

Compensation Plan 

Salary Wage and Commission:

The Assistant Buyer & Visual Merchandiser position at Montana Supply will be compensated at an annual salary of $50-65k per year.

Bonus Potential: The Employee is eligible for a quarterly bonus that shall be discussed with and approved by the General Manager.