Nursery Product Buyer - Temporary

Homestead Gardens; Maryland; Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Employee discounts

Additional benefits as applicable

Job summary

Homestead Gardens, Davidsonville, MD, is seeking an experienced Nursery Buyer for a temporary full-time role to source, purchase, merchandise, and manage inventory for the nursery department.

You will coordinate with suppliers to secure quality plants and related products, set seasonal plans, and optimize margins while ensuring customer-focused displays and timely deliveries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent industry experience will be considered.
• 3+ years of purchasing, buying, category management, or related retail experience, preferably within a garden center, nursery, greenhouse, or horticultural business.

Responsibilities

• Execute seasonal buying strategies for nursery plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, and related gardening products.
• Source high-quality, unique, and on-trend products that meet customer demand and support the garden center's merchandising strategy.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, freight, availability, and promotional opportunities with vendors.
• Coordinate purchases and deliveries to ensure appropriate inventory levels throughout the growing and selling seasons.
• Monitor inventory levels, sales performance, margins, turns, shrink, and product sell-through.
• Analyze sales and inventory data to make informed purchasing decisions and maximize profitability.
• Identify slow-moving and overstocked products and develop strategies to improve sell-through.
• Balance inventory availability with responsible purchasing to minimize excess product, markdowns, and loss.
• Maintain accurate product information, pricing, vendor records, and purchasing documentation.
• Partner with retail leadership and merchandising teams to create attractive, well-stocked nursery displays.
• Help with product assortment, quantities, pricing, and placement based on customer preferences and sales performance.
• Use horticultural knowledge to help ensure the right plants are selected for the right customers, growing conditions, and seasons.
• Support a nursery environment that is visually appealing, well-maintained, and reflects the quality and expertise of the garden center.
• Work closely with retail managers, nursery leadership, merchandising, inventory control, receiving, and marketing teams.
• Communicate purchasing plans, product availability, promotions, and seasonal priorities to the appropriate teams.
• Collaborate with management on seasonal forecasts, budgets, sales goals, and category strategies.
• Assist with special events, promotions, vendor programs, and other initiatives that drive nursery sales.

Skills

Purchasing

Vendor management

Negotiation

Inventory management

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Excel

Inventory management systems

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Davidsonville - Davidsonville, MD 21035, Position Type: Full Time, Salary Range: $65,000.00 - $70,000.00 Salary, Job Category: 0.050, Retail Garden Center Nursery Buyer - Temporary Role

Position Overview

Are you passionate about plants, knowledgeable about horticulture, and energized by the challenge of turning that knowledge into a successful retail business?

We are looking for an experienced Nursery Buyer to fill in on the sourcing, purchasing, merchandising, and inventory management of our retail nursery department. This is a key role for someone who understands both plants and people—this is a temporary role.

Key Responsibilities

Buying & Vendor Management

• Execute seasonal buying strategies for nursery plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, and related gardening products.
• Source high-quality, unique, and on-trend products that meet customer demand and support the garden center's merchandising strategy.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, freight, availability, and promotional opportunities with vendors.
• Coordinate purchases and deliveries to ensure appropriate inventory levels throughout the growing and selling seasons.

Inventory & Financial Management

• Monitor inventory levels, sales performance, margins, turns, shrink, and product sell-through.
• Analyze sales and inventory data to make informed purchasing decisions and maximize profitability.
• Identify slow-moving and overstocked products and develop strategies to improve sell-through.
• Balance inventory availability with responsible purchasing to minimize excess product, markdowns, and loss.
• Maintain accurate product information, pricing, vendor records, and purchasing documentation.

Merchandising & Customer Experience

• Partner with retail leadership and merchandising teams to create attractive, well-stocked, and customer-focused nursery displays.
• Help with product assortment, quantities, pricing, and placement based on customer preferences and sales performance.
• Use horticultural knowledge to help ensure the right plants are selected for the right customers, growing conditions, and seasons.
• Support a nursery environment that is visually appealing, well-maintained, and reflects the quality and expertise of the garden center.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with retail managers, nursery leadership, merchandising, inventory control, receiving, and marketing teams.
• Communicate purchasing plans, product availability, promotions, and seasonal priorities to the appropriate teams.
• Collaborate with management on seasonal forecasts, budgets, sales goals, and category strategies.
• Assist with special events, promotions, vendor programs, and other initiatives that drive nursery sales.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent industry experience will be considered.
• 3+ years of purchasing, buying, category management, or related retail experience, preferably within a garden center, nursery, greenhouse, or horticultural business.
• Strong knowledge of horticulture, including plant varieties, growing requirements, seasonal availability, and current gardening trends.
• Demonstrated understanding of retail purchasing, inventory management, gross margin, pricing, and sales performance.
• Strong negotiation, vendor management, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a seasonal, fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and experience with inventory or purchasing management systems.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a cross-functional team.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for vendor visits, trade shows, and industry events.

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid time off
• Employee discounts
• [Additional benefits as applicable]