Vendor Merchandise Assistant- Watches at Helzberg Diamonds

Vendor Merchandise Assistant- Watches

North Kansas City, Missouri

The Vendor Merchandise Assistant supports the merchandise and planning organization through building and managing relationships with current vendors that supply products and services to Helzberg. The incumbent ensures that vendors meet or exceed their contractual obligations by delivering quality products and services on time. The Vendor Merchandise Assistant contributes to the efficiency, productivity and success of the company. They keep vendors informed on developments in the organization or changes in market conditions that might affect demand for vendors’ products. They work with the vendor in production planning enabling the vendor to integrate their own production schedules with the organization’s requirements, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of excess capacity or supply shortages.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
• Manage external vendor relations within the Merchandise and Planning organization.
• Facilitate communication with internal stakeholders, working to consistently improve efficiencies. Manage communication flow for meetings and conference calls, providing relevant agendas and follow-up notes.
• Pricing/Retail management across all HDS systems and Ecommerce.
• Product and SKU management across all HDS systems.
• Act as functional bridge between the external vendor and internal stakeholders.
• Establish vendor management tasks, informing internal partners as required, including product specification review, sample management, product test management, product set up, online management, purchase order tracking, special order facilitation and photo asset management/on-line product exposure.
• Track, measure, report and evaluate product performance, providing insights to both internal and external partners through monthly reporting across channels and the vendor builder.
• Track, measure, report and evaluate vendor performance. Coordinate and inform internal stakeholders monthly via a standardized report. (Vendor report card).
• Identify and mitigate business risk by keeping all stakeholders fully informed and able to make timely decisions.
• Troubleshoot vendor issues and present to management as required. Represent resolutions to the vendor with the best interest of Helzberg in mind.
• Manage vendor chargebacks and QC performance, informing both internal and external partners.
• Identify improvement areas internally working with internal stakeholders to find acceptable resolutions.
• Identify, implement and continuously enhance efficiencies associated with vendor management plus produce fulfillment.
• Assortment and product development by channel.
• Facilitate product development workflow process through all stages to ensure timely and accurate delivery at all stages through Logility including meeting follow-up, product proposal and quotations, product samples, specification worksheets, product images, product feeds, testing, and RTV notices.
• Stimulate steady process enhancement to present increasing operational efficiency in entire business partner processes.
• Support to explore expansion across new business lines.
• Provide support and information regarding product forecasts available in Logility.
• CLOSEOUTS: Facilitate accurate information on available sellable inventory, manage quantity changes or cancelations as needed.


SPECIAL PROJECTS:
Act as Key point person for internal and external collaboration for development and implementation of new diamond custom builder.
• Cross Function meeting set up for internal and external teams.
o IT, ECOM, Creative, Marketing, Special Orders, Learning & Development, Accounts Payable, etc.
• Liaison between vendor and merchandise team to ensure all product development is on track and meeting the expectations of both parties.
• Creation of project timeline and ensuring we are staying on key dates.
• Creation of needed training documents related to the builder.
• Competitive analysis of other builders.
• All sku set up and maintenance for builder.
• Provide detailed weekly reporting about what is/is not working.
• Facilitate and support customer service team to ensure positive customer facing experience.


QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field and at least 3 years of related retail experience required, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Occasional travel will be required as needed.
• Excellent relationship building, communication and organizational skills, with the ability to work and communicate effectively with external partners and internal functional areas.
• Strong presentation and communication skills required to ensure vendors understand their contractual requirements.
• Must be able to multi-task, be flexible, perform in fast-paced environment and maintain focus while anticipating and reacting to shifting priorities and changes in business.
• Strong analytical skills required to monitor and review vendors’ product and operational performances including advanced Excel and reporting tools.
• Professional level writing skills required.
• Strong retail math acumen, problem solving skills, and ability to organize and prioritize required.
• Hybrid schedule with predictable onsite attendance required three or more days per week to perform essential functions involving interactive behaviors with co-workers and managers, operation or manipulation of equipment and/or materials located only on site, and direct interaction with internal and/or external customers.