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Summary The VCS Central Office, located at the Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center in St. Louis, MO., is conducting a recruitment search for an Associate Buyer for our Retail Division. In this role, you will be responsible for driving sales and margin for your categories of business as well as sourcing, buying, and inventory management. Responsibilities Duties of this position include, but are not limited to: - Analytical Thinking & Strong Business Acumen: Execute retail sales, margin, assortment, and inventory plans. Develop and implement strategies to ensure financial targets are met. - Brand & Buying Strategy: Support the development and execution of brand and product line strategies by analyzing customer preferences, sales trends, and market performance. - Forecasting: Maximize business opportunity while minimizing financial liability through Open to Buy forecasts, managing receipts, pricing, and initiating monthly markdown strategies that support sales and profitability goals. - Collaboration: Partner with Marketing to build a strong advertising strategy within your product categories. Manage vendor relationships and supplier/partner contracts. - Product & Market Awareness: Analyze market trends to understand competition, pricing, marketing concepts, and trends. - Additional Responsibilities & Flexibility: Perform and adapt to additional responsibilities as needed. - Travel: Occasional travel will be required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Experience: Minimum of two (2) years' experience required as an Assistant Buyer, Associate Buyer, or Sr. buyer in a retail buying office, and must possess an excellent understanding and working knowledge of retail merchandising principles, concepts, and established practices associated with buying retail merchandise. - Financial Acumen: Must possess strong analytical skills to include a solid command of retail math, forecasting, gross margin, inventory turn, and Return on Investment. - Communication: Clear and effective communicator, both written and verbal. Confident negotiator. Able to articulate ideas successfully across Microsoft Teams and in-person audiences. - Problem Solving and Multi-Tasking: Adept at managing multiple tasks and resolving issues efficiently. Thrives in a high-volume, fast-paced environment operating under tight deadlines. - Proficient Technical Ability: Skilled in Microsoft Suite and experience with Retail purchasing systems. Education Additional Information