Buyer Assistant

The Buyer Assistant role sits at the heart of SecondShop’s buying and merchandising engine. This is a hands-on, execution-heavy role designed for someone who is nearly ready to step into a full Buyer position and wants deeper exposure to vendor management, category performance, and commercial decision-making.

You will support day-to-day purchasing activity, manage supplier interactions, build and maintain purchase orders, and act as a key connector between Sales Operations, B2B, Supply Chain, and the Buying team. This is not a traditional retail buying office role — it’s fast-paced, operational, and highly cross-functional.

Key Responsibilities

Purchasing & Supplier Execution

• Manage day-to-day supplier purchasing activity and support purchase agreements
• Build and maintain accurate purchase orders (POs) across active suppliers
• Actively manage opportunity buys for the B2B team through automated tools and dashboards
• Maintain clean, accurate vendor files, confirmations, and pricing documentation
• Track supplier calendars, MOQs, lead times, and constraints
• Follow up consistently with suppliers to close loops and resolve open items

Vendor Relationship Management

• Build strong working relationships with suppliers already in play
• Act as a primary point of contact for day-to-day supplier communication
• Identify and pursue incremental opportunities with existing suppliers
• Sanity-check vendor quotes and flag discrepancies, cost changes, or risks early

Category & Data Analysis

• Build and maintain SKU matrices, line reviews, and assortment grids
• Analyse category performance including:
• Sell-through
• Gross margin % and margin dollars
• Turn rates
• Markdown impact
• Open-to-buy (OTB)
• Proactively flag dead SKUs, margin leaks, overstocks, and gaps before issues escalate
• Partner with Buyers to identify item needs and outreach strategies to suppliers

Internal Coordination & Communication

• Act as the daily go-between for Sales Operations and the Buying team
• Work closely with:
• Supply Chain & Logistics
• Inventory Planning
• Pricing & Promotions
• Marketing / E-commerce
• Warehouse & DC Operations
• Help resolve execution issues quickly by understanding ownership, impact, and next steps

Item & Data Integrity

• Own SKU-level accuracy across:
• Dimensions and weights
• Case packs and pallet quantities
• Compliance attributes (energy ratings, safety certifications, etc.)
• Ensure item master data is accurate to prevent freight errors, listing issues, and operational failures

Promotional & Lifecycle Support

• Support promotional deal setup and submissions
• Provide inputs for flyers and digital content
• Assist with line extensions, deletions, and end-of-life (EOL) planning
• Help manage exit strategies for underperforming or obsolete inventory

Who We’re Looking For

• 3–5 years of experience working with vendors or suppliers
• Industry background flexible
• Analyst → Merchandising / Buying Assistant progression strongly preferred
• Almost ready to step into a Buyer role and eager to think like a merchant
• Experience with big and bulky products is a strong asset
• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing many moving parts simultaneously
• Strong problem-solver who thrives in large, cross-functional team environments
• Flexible and adaptable — comfortable outside a traditional retail buying structure

What Sets You Apart

Data Fluency

• Comfortable analysing sell-through, margin, turn, markdowns, and OTB
• Able to interpret data, not just report it
• Proactively identifies issues and opportunities without being prompted

Commercial Awareness

• Understands FOB vs landed cost
• Aware of freight, duty, fuel, and accessorial impacts
• Familiar with rebates, MDF, coop, and dating terms
• Understands how small cost changes impact pricing and margin

Execution & Judgment

• Thinks one step ahead and prepares options, not just questions
• Understands why SKUs exist and how they contribute to traffic vs profit
• Recognises when complexity adds risk rather than value
• Escalates issues with context and proposed solutions

What We Offer

• Competitive salary ($55,000 - $65,000) and benefits
• Exposure to real buying and merchandising decision-making
• A clear development path toward a full Buyer role
• A fast-growing, hands-on operating environment where your work directly impacts results
• A collaborative, no-nonsense team focused on execution and continuous improvement