Assistant Buyer - Merchandising

Brand Overview: Ashley Stewart was founded in 1991. Beginning with the first store in Brooklyn, New York, the Ashley Stewart brand captured the hearts and minds of women searching for fashion-forward, well-tailored but affordable clothing in an easily accessible and welcoming environment.  Today, our customers are able to shop the brand in retail stores across the United States and on-line through our website, www.ashleystewart.com.  The website has enabled Ashley Stewart to grow internationally, and customers are now able to interact with fellow customers across many different forms of social media.  Ashley Stewart will continue to deliver fashion forward style and flattering fit for the trend-savvy, curvy and confident woman.     Our Philosophy:  We believe in a set of core values grounded in fair play, hard work, teamwork, and integrity.  We believe that success comes from a group of people planning and executing in unison each day.  We believe that Ashley Stewart exists solely because our customers trust and believe in what the brand stands for. Ashley Stewart stands for confidence, self-esteem, sexiness, class, and sisterhood.  Everything we do as a Company is for our customer.  Our customer looks at every employee as if she/he is Ashley Stewart, a trusted confidante and best friend.  Ashley Stewart is as much about a shopping experience, whether it is in the stores or on-line, as it is about merchandise.  Ashley Stewart stands for confidence and acceptance. The Role: We are looking for a passionate Assistant Buyer to assist the Merchandise Buyer by performing the tasks and responsibilities associated with merchandise selection, merchandise ordering and inventory distribution. To be successful as an Assistant Buyer, you should be confident, highly organized and an excellent communicator. An outstanding Assistant Buyer has an analytical and entrepreneurial mindset, loves fashion, and is eager to learn about our business needs. Major Responsibilities and/or Essential Functions*:  Perform merchandise order process for assigned merchandise category: merchandise order creation, manage approval process, vendor follow-up, management of delivery schedules, TOP management, receipts/deliveries and cancellations Compile and maintain department’s business reports and analyze category performance and trend; take action as necessary in partnership with Merchandise Buyer Perform competitive shopping activities to assess the competition and make strategic recommendations with Merchandise Buyer in response to the competition and market activity Organize and maintain merchandise samples for business process flow e.g. fit samples, photo shoot samples. Check T.O.P.s and tickets as required for quality control. Participate in regularly-held business meetings; provide feedback and help establish strategies in conjunction with Merchandise Buyer. Demonstrate appropriate judgment and discretion, in absence of Merchandise Buyer. Partner with Merchandise Planner in Buyer’s absence.  Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by department management. Knowledge, Skills, & Experience:  A Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university or 1 - 3 years related merchandise buying experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience Previous experience in the merchandising or retail industry, a must. A high level of organization and PC proficiency is required including a thorough knowledge of Excel, Word and Outlook. Prior experience with MMS Retails Ideas is advantageous. The ability to meet deadlines, multi-task and provide quick, accurate responses to requests is required. Strong analytical skills and retail math abilities are required. The ability to execute individual responsibilities and perform as a team player in sharing responsibility for the achievement of department goals. Strong written and verbal communication skills.