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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Jewelry Buyer Assistant

💰 $45,000 - $65,000

MerchandisingRetailFashionJewelryBuying

🎯 Role Definition

The Jewelry Buyer Assistant is the essential right-hand to the Jewelry Buyer, playing a critical support role in the entire product lifecycle from concept to customer. This individual acts as the organizational backbone of the buying department, ensuring the seamless execution of the merchandising strategy. From analyzing market trends and managing product samples to communicating with global vendors and maintaining crucial data, the assistant enables the team to build a compelling and profitable jewelry assortment that resonates with customers and drives business growth. This is a foundational role for a career in merchandising, offering deep exposure to the inner workings of a corporate retail buying office.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Merchandising or Buying Internship
  • Retail Sales Associate (with a focus on jewelry)
  • Stock or Inventory Coordinator
  • Showroom Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Associate Buyer, Jewelry
  • Junior Buyer
  • Product Developer
  • Merchandise Planner

Lateral Moves:

  • Assistant Planner
  • Assistant Product Developer
  • E-commerce Merchandising Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage the end-to-end purchase order lifecycle, including accurate creation, data entry, tracking, and revision management to ensure timely product delivery and system accuracy.
  • Serve as a primary daily point of contact for domestic and international jewelry vendors, fostering strong professional relationships and facilitating clear communication on all product-related matters.
  • Diligently track and manage all jewelry samples, from initial requests and receipt to flawless organization within the showroom and preparation for key merchandising meetings.
  • Prepare, maintain, and distribute detailed weekly and monthly sales reports, analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) like sell-through rates, stock levels, and margin performance.
  • Conduct comprehensive competitive market analysis by researching competitor pricing, product assortments, and promotional strategies to identify market opportunities and white space.
  • Collaborate closely with the Buyer to assist in the development of seasonal assortment plans, ensuring they align with financial targets and the overall brand vision.
  • Maintain the integrity and accuracy of all product information within internal systems (like PLM or ERP), including style numbers, costs, retail prices, and product attributes.
  • Assist in the product development process by communicating design feedback to vendors, tracking the progress of prototypes, and ensuring samples meet established quality standards.
  • Prepare detailed product presentations, assortment spreadsheets, and visual boards for internal line reviews, merchandising meetings, and executive presentations.
  • Partner with the planning and allocation teams by providing necessary product information to facilitate effective inventory management and store-level distribution strategies.
  • Coordinate with the marketing and e-commerce teams to ensure accurate product representation online, including providing detailed product copy, images, and specifications.
  • Meticulously manage and organize all product images and digital assets for the jewelry category, ensuring they are readily available for various cross-functional teams.
  • Proactively monitor in-season sales performance, identifying fast-selling and slow-moving items and working with the Buyer to recommend appropriate actions such as re-orders or markdowns.
  • Assist the Buyer in preparing for market appointments and trade shows, which includes scheduling meetings, organizing travel logistics, and compiling necessary pre-market analysis.
  • Process and track vendor invoices and debits/credits, liaising with the accounts payable department to resolve any discrepancies and ensure timely payments.
  • Create and maintain assortment sheets and line lists with extreme attention to detail, ensuring all information is current and accurately reflects the complete product offering.
  • Research and identify emerging jewelry trends, materials, and silhouettes by monitoring fashion publications, social media, and industry influencers to inform future buying decisions.
  • Manage the flow of communication and follow-up on action items from meetings with both internal teams and external vendor partners to ensure deadlines are met.
  • Support the negotiation process by preparing cost analysis worksheets and historical sales data for the Buyer's review prior to vendor meetings.
  • Perform regular quality control checks on incoming shipments and TOP (Top of Production) samples to ensure they adhere to approved standards and specifications.
  • Coordinate the logistics of product sample returns to vendors, ensuring proper documentation is completed and shipments are sent in a timely manner.
  • Generate ad-hoc analytical reports as requested by the buying team to support strategic decision-making and exploratory analysis on specific product categories or attributes.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist in setting up product for photoshoots and marketing campaigns, ensuring the correct items are featured.
  • Contribute to showroom organization and maintenance to ensure a professional, efficient, and inspiring workspace.
  • Participate in store visits with the buying team to gather firsthand feedback on product performance and visual merchandising execution.
  • Provide general administrative support to the buying department, including scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and processing expense reports.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Microsoft Excel Proficiency: Must be highly skilled in using VLOOKUPs, HLOOKUPs, pivot tables, and complex formulas for data manipulation and analysis.
  • Retail Math Acumen: Strong understanding of and ability to calculate key retail metrics, including margin, sell-through, turn, initial markup (IMU), and markdowns.
  • Systems Proficiency: Experience with or ability to quickly learn Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and other merchandising software.
    -Data Entry Accuracy: Demonstrates exceptional speed and accuracy in data entry tasks, understanding the critical impact of data integrity.
  • Reporting and Analysis: Ability to pull data from various sources to create, interpret, and present clear and concise business and sales reports.
  • G-Suite/MS Office: Proficient in using business productivity tools, including Google Sheets/Docs and Microsoft Word/PowerPoint for presentations and communication.
  • Purchase Order Management: Knowledge of the PO creation and tracking process within a retail system.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional Organization: The ability to manage multiple complex projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously without sacrificing quality.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A commitment to accuracy in all outputs, from data entry to sample tracking and report generation.
  • Clear & Professional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective correspondence with internal teams and external vendors.
  • Proactive Problem-Solving: An innate ability to anticipate challenges, identify issues, and take the initiative to find and propose solutions.
  • Adaptability & Poise: Thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and can pivot priorities with a positive, can-do attitude.
  • Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills with a talent for building and maintaining positive, professional relationships with colleagues and partners.
  • Passion for Product: A genuine interest in and passion for jewelry, fashion, and retail trends, with a keen eye for product.
  • Strong Sense of Urgency: Understands the time-sensitive nature of the retail calendar and works efficiently to meet all deadlines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate's Degree or equivalent experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Fashion Merchandising
  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1-3 years of relevant experience.

Preferred:

  • Prior experience in a corporate retail environment, specifically within a buying, merchandising, or planning department. A comprehensive internship in a related field is highly valued. Experience working in a multi-brand or multi-vendor environment is a significant plus.
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