Assistant Buyer, VMS

Job Summary:

The Assistant Buyer is responsible for collaborating with their category team on evaluating, curating, promoting and growing the brands/products in their assigned category and ensuring a strong vendor partnership. In addition, the Assistant Buyer position partners with Buyers in sourcing and onboarding new suppliers and products relevant to category, trend, and team objectives. This role is the first step in the progression of the Merchandising Team buying structure; and is responsible for making merchandising decisions for low/mid volume accounts in addition to supporting category teams.

Job Expectations:

• Collaborate and work closely with Buyers, Managers and team to ensure all are aligned on business strategies, short and long-term growth objectives.

• Collaborate with Buyers to build, edit and maintain assortment to create market advantage while reflecting customer needs/requests

• Negotiate with vendors to secure exceptional everyday pricing, marketing & promotional budgets, special opportunity buys, growth incentives including rebates and accruals, delivery, and payment terms for low/mid volume accounts

• Facilitate relationships with low/mid volume existing/new vendors to drive sales, product innovation, margin growth, promotional support and maintain regular and consistent communication to ensure a clear understanding of short/long-term goals and capabilities

• Coordinate with the buyers on negotiation of contracts, product evaluation, quality issues, customer service questions and create and maintain supplier, product database

• Drive the new product/brand onboarding and maintenance process to ensure timely addition to market

• Update and maintain cost, pricing, and product adjustments in system to ensure desired mark-ups, margin

• Coordinate with Inventory Management and Planning Team in managing inventory turns, service level, order cycles, deal implementation and general supply chain practices

• Collaborate with Buyers to support promotional co-op activities that are profitable and highly effective in conjunction with Marketing

• Create, review and utilize reports to enable in-depth analysis of category successes/challenges

• Provide support to Category Managers and other Buyers on projects and day-to-day activities

• Comply with company policies and procedures, including safety, business ethics, and standards of conduct

The duties and responsibilities described above may provide only a partial description of this position. This is not an exhaustive list of all aspects of the job. Other duties and responsibilities not outlined in this document may be added as necessary or desirable, with or without notice.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Required:

• Developing negotiating skills

• Developing analytical, data management, and decision-making abilities

• Strong mathematical skills with an understanding of retail pricing concepts

• Ability to communicate professionally with people at all levels of the organization and external contacts

• Great attention to detail, highly organized with strong project management skills

• Ability to handle multiple tasks, problem solve, and prioritize with awareness of importance and deadlines

Equipment Knowledge:

• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Experience with Google Business Suite (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) preferred

• WMS, EDI, SAP, Asana, Tableau experience a plus

Experience Requirements:

Generally, requires a minimum of two (2) to five (5) of progressive experience in buying or directly related role with equivalent responsibilities, preferably in an e-commerce environment with Supplements, Beauty/Personal Care, or Natural Products experience a plus.

Education Requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Merchandising or related field preferred, or a combination of education and equivalent work experience.

Staffing Agency Submission Notice
iHerb does not accept unsolicited 3rd party ("Agency") candidates. If you are an Agency, please send any requests to be considered as a supplier in our Vendor Management System to [email protected]. Do not contact iHerb employees directly. If requested to work on a role, any Agency candidates would be presented through the internal recruiting organization.

About iHerb
iHerb is on a mission to make health and wellness accessible to all. We offer Earth’s best-curated selection of health and wellness products, at the best possible value, delivered with the most convenient experience.

We’re the world’s largest eCommerce platform dedicated to vitamins, minerals, and supplements, and other health and wellness products. For more than 25 years, we’ve been making it simple for people all over the world to purchase the highest quality products. From supplements to skincare to grocery items, we ship over 50,000 products, from over 1,800 brands direct to our customers in 180+ countries.

Our vision is to become the #1 destination for health and wellness across the world.

With a passion for wellness and a mind for innovative solutions, iHerb team members share a vision for a healthier world that drives them each day. Our 5 Shared Values unite our global team:

Focus on the Customer · Empower Our People · Be Entrepreneurial & Pivot Quickly ·
Embrace Diversity & Inclusion · Strive for Simplicity

iHerb Benefits
At iHerb, we are dedicated to offering programs designed to help our employees and their families stay healthy, live well, and plan for their financial future. Built on a strong foundation, our programs provide options and upgrades with flexibility, protection, and security in mind. For the comprehensive benefits list, visit www.iHerbBenefits.com. For our international team members, you may be eligible for benefits depending on the country where you are employed. The Talent Acquisition Partner/local HR representative will go over the benefits you are eligible for.

iHerb is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. iHerb provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment.