Assistant Buyer: Data-Driven Sourcing & Vendor Partnerships

Five Below; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Financial wellness

Personal wellness

Job summary

Five Below in Philadelphia is seeking an Assistant Buyer to support the Buying team with reports, category growth, and vendor coordination. The role involves sample management, item setup, and PO placement aligned with specifications and timelines.

You will help develop product briefs, monitor market trends, and assist in negotiations with vendors while collaborating with cross-functional teams for timely approvals. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience as an Assistant Buyer or in a similar retail role a plus.
• Knowledge of product development, planning, and both domestic and overseas manufacturing.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and familiarity with BI Reporting tools.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Must be able to handle multiple projects and contribute effectively to team efforts.
• Negotiation skills and vendor relationship management a plus.
• Must be willing to travel as needed.
• Ability to embrace 5 core company values.
• Demonstrate ability to excel in a fast-paced environment while adopting a mentality of “let go & have fun”
• Must be Philadelphia-based or willing to relocate to the Philadelphia area

Responsibilities

• Assist the Buyer with running reports and analysis for the Buying team to support decision-making.
• Suggest newness and category extensions to refresh the assortment and drive growth.
• Help with sample management, ensuring design comments are relayed to vendors and that all final samples are available for ads, floorsets, and styleouts.
• Responsible for accurate and timely set up of new items and maintenance of accurate item attributes.
• Collaborating closely with the department’s buying team to accurately create, review, and place purchase orders (POs), ensuring all details align with product specifications, vendor agreements, and delivery timelines.
• Contribute to product development by helping with the creation of product briefs, executing competitive shop recaps, and ensuring quality matches ordered products.
• Monitor market trends through comp shopping, social media, trade shows, and vendor appointments.
• Support the Buyer in negotiating favorable terms and conditions with vendors.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (supply chain, merchandising operations, planning) to ensure timely approval of items and POs. Partner to resolve any issues with vendors, DC teams, or other stakeholders.
• Use BI Reporting to analyze sales data, run ladder plans, and generate reports to support business insights.
• Coordinate and facilitate the process of MOS, markdowns, RTVs, attribute creation, deal pricing, marketing project requests, and chargebacks.
• Maintain open communication with vendors and cross-functional teams to resolve issues such as overages, shortages, UPC discrepancies, and import delays.

Skills

Communication

Organizational skills

Multitasking

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office

BI Reporting tools

Job description

Five Below in Philadelphia is seeking an Assistant Buyer to support the Buying team with reports, category growth, and vendor coordination. The role involves sample management, item setup, and PO placement aligned with specifications and timelines.

You will help develop product briefs, monitor market trends, and assist in negotiations with vendors while collaborating with cross-functional teams for timely approvals. Travel may be required.