Assistant Buyer - Fine Jewelry

Brobston Group; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Vision, Dental

Retirement

Paid Time Away

Life Insurance

Job summary

Nordstrom is seeking an assistant buyer with an analytical mindset and a customer-first approach to drive merchandising decisions. The role works across functions to understand customer needs, market dynamics, and seasonal strategies.

Responsibilities include partnering with planners, negotiating exclusive offerings, and guiding inventory and markdown decisions to maximize department performance. Proficiency in MS Office and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Merchandising or equivalent work experience.
• Experience in retail merchandising, planning or analysis.
• Experience supporting a high-sales-volume category (high SKU count, heavy seasonality, high revenue).
• Experience in a relevant merchandise category.
• Demonstrated understanding of retail and the service environment of Nordstrom.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop an understanding of the needs, wants and expectations of the customer.
• Build an understanding of the market and competitors in their category.
• Establish a clear understanding of the seasonal department merchandise strategy.
• Partner with assistant buy planner on market preparation.
• Contribute to negotiations of exclusive offerings, terms, pricing, vendor funded markdowns, return-to-vendor agreements, drop-ship programs, co-op, etc.
• Function as liaison to online and/or stores as assigned; including effective communication of the selling agenda.
• Contribute to inventory management in season; including driving markdowns and exit strategy.
• Be a student of the business regarding effective analysis and decision making to improve department performance.
• Collaborate with, and respond with a sense of urgency to regional merchandisers regarding customer needs.
• Partner with assistant buy planner to improve the depth and precision of location-level inventory content.
• Participate in business reviews to develop greater understanding of how specific actions impact overall department results.

Skills

MS Office

Strong communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Merchandising or equivalent work experience

Tools

MS Office suite

Job description

Job Description

The ideal assistant buyer is analytical, results-oriented and views the business through the lens of the customer.

A day in the life…

• Develop an understanding of the needs, wants and expectations of the customer
• Build an understanding of the market and competitors in their category
• Establish a clear understanding of the seasonal department merchandise strategy
• Partner with assistant buy planner on market preparation
• Contribute to negotiations of exclusive offerings, terms, pricing, vendor funded markdowns, return-to-vendor agreements, drop-ship programs, co-op, etc.
• Function as liaison to online and/or stores as assigned; including effective communication of the selling agenda
• Contribute to inventory management in season; including driving markdowns and exit strategy
• Be a student of the business regarding effective analysis and decision making to improve department performance
• Collaborate with, and respond with a sense of urgency to regional merchandisers regarding customer needs
• Partner with assistant buy planner to improve the depth and precision of location-level inventory content
• Participate in business reviews to develop greater understanding of how specific actions impact overall department results

You own this if you have…

• Bachelor's degree in Merchandising or equivalent work experience
• Experience in retail merchandising, planning or analysis required
• Experience supporting a high sales volume category (high SKU count, heavy seasonality, high revenue ($20M+) preferred
• Experience in a relevant merchandise category preferred
• Demonstrated understanding of retail and the service environment of Nordstrom required
• Proficiency in MS Office suite required
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal skills required

Pay Range Details

The pay range(s) below has been provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different for other locations.

Pay offers are dependent on the location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

$80,000.00 - $132,000.00 Annual

We’ve got you covered…

Our employees are our most important asset and that’s reflected in our benefits. Nordstrom is proud to offer a variety of benefits to support employees and their families, including:

• Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement and Paid Time Away
• Life Insurance and Disability
• Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources

This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses. Benefits include 401k, medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance options, PTO accruals, Holidays, and more. Eligibility requirements may apply based on location, job level, classification, and length of employment. Learn more in the Nordstrom Benefits Overview by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser: https://careers.nordstrom.com/pdfs/Ben_Overview_16.pdf

A few more important points…

The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive. There may be additional duties, responsibilities and qualifications for this job.

For Los Angeles or San Francisco applicants: Nordstrom is required to inform you that we conduct background checks after conditional offer and consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with legal requirements per Los Angeles, Cal. Muni. Code 189.04 and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For additional state and location specific notices, please refer to the Legal Notices document within the FAQ section of the Nordstrom Careers site.

Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation should contact the nearest Nordstrom location, which can be identified at www.nordstrom.com (http://www.nordstrom.com/).

Please be mindful that there may be legal notices and requirements related to this job posting that are specific to your state. Review the Career Site FAQ’s (https://careers.nordstrom.com/#/contact-us/faq) for relevant information and guidelines.

Nordstrom keeps job postings open for at least one day after the posting date.