Assistant Merchandise Manager

Location: Medford, Oregon (In person)

The Assistant Merchandise Manager will support the Merchandise Manager, in all aspects of product development, assortment planning and communication. The Assistant Merchandise Manager is also accountable for assortment planning, pricing, cost negotiations and all channel placement through the entire product lifecycle. This position plays a key role in contributing to the achievement sales and margin goals by achieving the financial goals and strategic objectives of an area of the business.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Major responsibilities of the position are listed below. To perform the job successfully, the individual must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties, assignments and specific projects may be assigned at the discretion of executive management

· Support product development, internal and external; assortment planning; and profitability goals of the department providing timely analyses and accurate reporting.

· Support Merchandise Managers in communicating related product information to all cross functional partners (Marketing, Operations, Customer Service, Product Development).

· Evaluate and recommend appropriate actions to remove low contributing products from the assortment.

· Ensure company and vendor deadlines are met through timely communication and asset acquisition (photo samples, product information, enclosures, product tasting samples).

· Partner with inventory management team to assure that products are delivered in a timely manner to minimize out of stocks and lost sales.

· Manage all system requirements, including assortment planning, item set ups, product information, price changes, others as needed.

· Track and evaluate expiring merchandise; prepare recommendations for appropriate action to resolve immediate issues and eliminate expiring product in the future.

· Maintain current knowledge and understanding of key competitor’s product and promotional trends and best merchandising practices in catalog, online, and direct marketing channels.

· Manage vendor relationships and external partner communication.

Assist in working with sourcing to ensure that the proper tonnage of grapes and correct varietals are sourced based on current and future sales trends.

· Assist in working with winemakers to ensure wine is produced to H&D Standards and is approved to bottle.

· Assist in submitting Harry & David wines to industry competitions.

· Be available for local competitions when needed by securing OLCC license to pour and present at these events.

· Update job knowledge by participating in conferences, trade shows, and educational opportunities as appropriate; reading professional publications; maintaining professional networks.

· Other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

· A Bachelor's Degree in Merchandising, Business or a related field or equivalent experience.

· 1-3 years related experience in project management or a buying department.

· Experience in wine, specialty foods or luxury goods retail desired.

· Ability to analyze reports and draw conclusions/ recommendations.

· Strong coordination skills, ability to multi-task and manage to a deadline.

· Ability to work with multiple teams, vendors, partners and management.

· Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills, particularly in Excel required.

· Strong presentation skills required. Must be comfortable speaking to large groups of people and with all levels of management.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

To perform the job successfully, an individual must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and ability required.

Knowledge

· Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services.

· Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture, acquisition, and distribution of goods and services.

· English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

· Mathematics – Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

· Finance – Knowledge of the analysis and reporting of financial data.

· Customer Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service. This includes assessing customer needs and delivering on quality standards for service.

Skills

· Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

· Critical Thinking – Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

· Judgment and Decision Making – Considers the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

· Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

· Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision making.

· Management of Material Resources — Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

· Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

· Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.

· Time Management – Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

· Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

· Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to other’s actions.

· Teamwork – Works effectively both independently and as a team member.

Abilities

· Oral Comprehension – The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

· Oral Expression – The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

· Speech Clarity – The ability to speak clearly so others understand you.

· Written Comprehension – The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

· Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

· Written Expression – The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

· Deductive Reasoning – The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

· Inductive Reasoning – The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events.)

Physical Demand and Work Effort

· Keying/typing, sitting, standing, walking.

· Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

· Constant mental and/or visual attention; the work is either repetitive or diversified requiring constant alertness in an office and retail environment.

· The job is typically performed under comfortable working conditions; any disagreeable elements are generally absent during normal performance of the job.

· Compliance with company attendance standards.

· FLSA status: Hourly- Non-Exempt.