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 product information, pricing, quantities, delivery details, and other required information are provided to the Buying Assistant to support timely SKU creation and purchase order entry.
• Manage order updates including quantity adjustments, delivery changes, cancellations, and other purchase order revisions as needed.
• Ensure discrepancies related to shipments, purchase orders, or product specifications are addressed and resolved promptly in partnership with the appropriate internal and external teams.
• Support style setup and purchase order processing as needed, including creating and updating product information and sending purchase orders to vendors.

Operations & Administrative Support

• Ensure accuracy and data integrity across assigned product, vendor, and purchasing information, addressing discrepancies and updates as needed.
• Own the coordination of book signings, including author and publisher communication, inventory planning and ordering, and ensuring timely product receipt.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support departmental priorities and goals.

Required Competencies:

• 2+ years of relevant experience in buying and product development.
• Strong understanding of product development, buying, and supply chain processes.
• Experience working with vendors and licensors, including pricing and negotiations.
• Experience analyzing sales and inventory performance to inform buying and assortment decisions.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, and data analysis, required.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively within and across teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to take initiative, work independently, and follow through on responsibilities.
• Passion for design, film, culture, and storytelling through merchandise.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
• Ability to work on-site as required, with scheduling determined by business and departmental needs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Business, Retail Management, or a related field preferred.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and/or graphic design is a plus.
• Experience with retail systems, inventory management systems, or point-of-sale platforms is preferred.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to move and transport up to 25 pounds.

Required Vaccination: Full vaccination against COVID-19 is required, including any booster vaccinations as applicable. Exception: Medical and religious accommodations approved by the Office of People & Culture. 

Our Benefits:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 15 days of PTO, plus company-paid holidays.
• Additional time off including summer hours, winter hours, and a cultural floating holiday.
• Paid sick leave.
• Paid parental leave.
• 401k retirement plan with a company match
• Clean Air Commuter Program
• Employee Assistance Program through CompPsych Guidance Resources.
• Wellness benefits through Cigna Healthcare.
• Free access to 16,000+ online courses through LinkedIn Learning
• Free Academy membership screenings
• Free tickets and screenings at the Academy Museum
• Employee discounts through LifeMart and Working Advantage

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