Responsible for coordinating up to $80mm in net purchases and returns with specified vendors. Manages inventory as directed by the Divisional Merchandise Director. Manages business relationships with vendors.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Places new book buys for all titles from assigned vendors, formulating decision making thorough knowledge of the book industry and general marketing trends.

Purchases new titles at least three months in advance of publication date, basing the quantity decision on knowledge of comparable product(s).

Anticipates seasonal buying patterns and develops and applies seasonal profiles to titles to maximize sales.

Manages category open-to-buy and improve inventory mark up.

Negotiates terms for assigned vendors, including discount, payment, returnability and advertising dollars.

Responds to phone calls from vendors regarding policies, inventory management procedures, etc.

Prepares and submits appropriate information and maintenance forms for Vendor, Product , E-3 and Informata maintenance.

Conducts annual business reviews with vendors.

Maintains thorough knowledge of book industry trends

Develop & implement merchandising programs in cooperation with Marketing and Sales for designated product lines.

Overnight travel, as part of sales team efforts.

Qualifications:

A combination of experience and education equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree and three (3) to five (5) years’ buying /merchandising experience.

Extensive knowledge of book publishing, wholesaling or retailing.

Thorough knowledge of assigned categories, classification, and book trends.

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference and apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.

Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals and effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and the general public.

PC, MS Excel, MS Word, PowerPointe and E-3 skills.