Associate Buyer

Department: Retail Reports to: Senior Buyer Job Type: Full-time – Regular Job Classification: Hourly (Non-exempt) Workplace Location: Los Angeles – Academy Museum Compensation: $30.00 - $32.00 per hour Summary/Objective: The Associate Buyer is responsible for the development and execution of assigned merchandise assortments and product initiatives that advance the Museum’s mission and achieve financial objectives. This role partners closely with the Senior Buyer across product development, assortment planning, sourcing, inventory management, and sales analysis, while owning assigned projects and categories from development through ongoing performance management. The Associate Buyer also coordinates product launches and works cross-functionally with internal teams including Curatorial, Film Programming, Brand Creative, Marketing, E-Commerce, and Warehouse, as well as external partners such as studios, vendors, licensors, and artists, to ensure products are developed, approved, delivered, and launched successfully. Essential Functions of the Job: Product Development & Buying Own product development initiatives for assigned projects and categories, developing merchandise that reflects the Museum’s exhibitions, collections, the Oscars, and Academy history. Manage the development process from concept through delivery, including ideation, vendor coordination, costing, sampling, approvals, and production. Contribute to seasonal and ongoing buying needs, building a balanced assortment in partnership with the Senior Buyer and VP of Global Retail. Manage licensed product development in collaboration with licensing partners, coordinating product submissions and approvals, addressing feedback, and ensuring brand alignment and contractual compliance. Identify and recommend new vendor, brand, artist, and product opportunities through industry research and trend analysis. Own product selection and assortment decisions for assigned categories and projects, including pricing, internal approvals, and end-of-life decisions. Participate in weekly internal product reviews to discuss assortment and product strategy and review mockups, samples, and launch timing. Partner with the Buying Assistant on sample management, ensuring samples are organized, tracked, and available for internal reviews, and provide clearly labeled, approved samples with necessary product information for photography. Assortment & Inventory Management Continuously evaluate category and collection performance, identifying trends and making strategic recommendations to optimize assortments, improve margins, and drive sales. Support demand forecasting and future buy planning in collaboration with the Senior Buyer and Inventory Manager, using sales performance, inventory levels, and business needs to inform recommendations. Conduct regular hindsight analysis for key categories, collections, and launches, using sales and inventory performance to identify opportunities and inform future buys, reorders, and assortment decisions. Manage and maintain SKU counts across all categories and collections, ensuring counts are accurate and up to date to support assortment planning, newness tracking, and inventory management. Own the reorder process, regularly reviewing sales, weeks of supply, inventory levels, lead times, and business needs to determine reorder quantities and timing, and submitting recommendations to the Senior Buyer for approval. Manage markdowns and promotions for assigned categories and collections, using sales performance, inventory levels, and business needs to identify opportunities, recommend timing and strategy to the Senior Buyer for approval, and execute approved changes. Vendor & Purchase Order Management Manage relationships with domestic and international vendors, ensuring product quality, on-time delivery, and effective communication. Negotiate pricing and delivery terms to support revenue and margin goals. Ensure accurate and complete prod…

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