Value is hard to find – but not when you look in the right places. The right place is here. Being a part of the North 40 life means being a part of something valuable. The North 40 Life is more than a mantra or a philosophy- it’s a lifestyle, it’s also a community, one that wants to help enrich your life by offering you genuine content and authentic products that add to your story and make your work and play meaningful. All the things you need, with nothing you don’t – the North 40 Life is what you make it.

The Associate Buyer, under direction of the Category Manager and Buyer, is responsible for supporting the management of vendor relationships, product assortments, inventory management, and communications among the Office, Stores, and Suppliers.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Acts as liaison between the Buyer and Stores regarding product requests and store feedback, special orders, item pricing, order and product flow management, and OS&D Discrepancies
• Assists Buyer with vendor and program management
• Assists with assortment planning and inventory levels which includes inventory replenishment
• Assists Buyer with negotiating category buys and adjustments with smaller categories, as requested. 
• Assists with promotional planning by partnering with Store Teams, Advertising and Marketing Team and others
• Assists Buyer with planning seasonal sales by department
• Assist Buyer with analyzing category sales and inventory challenges
• Identifies and reports trends, reviews strategy progress weekly items and categories 
• Any other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s) Needed

• General Knowledge: Buying—Category management buying experience preferred
• Computer Familiarity—PC and keyboarding experience required including intermediate Excel use and Microsoft Outlook;
• Negotiation experience – communicate, compromise, plan and strategize with vendors
• Relationship Building – connecting and forming positive relationships with others
• Management Experience.
• Skills: Strong interpersonal skills -good verbal and written communication skills; Ability to act independently to determine methods and procedures on new assignments
• Confidentiality – maintain strict privacy and discretion regarding employee and company information/data or sharing information only with the individuals, team, or specified function or contact including refraining from gossip and or perpetuating information that could be construed as such;
• Organization – knowledge of how to use time, resources, energy, etc. in an effective way to  achieve successful outcomes  
• Attention to Detail – meticulous attention to details and elements in all aspects of  work projects and tasks
• Follow Through – ensuring that all work tasks are completed in entirety from start to finish no matter the time requirements (i.e. coming in early and staying late) and sharing that information with team members
• Time Management- ability to meet deadlines and to develop value-added, specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work;
• Problem Solving – Working through details of a problem to reach a solution;
• Creativity – ability to think outside the box, question established approaches, bring fresh or innovative ideas and approaches to the team and company
• Open minded – Receptive to new information and critique, recognizing validity of various viewpoints and responding positively to changes in direction, adjustments and feedback.  
• Self Starter – Ability and desire to undertake a project on his or her own initiative, without needing to be told or encouraged to do so
• Teamwork – collaborating, communicating, and inspiring in a way that makes not only the immediate team more successful in accomplishing projects, tasks, and goals, but also the North 40 Outfitters team successful in accomplishing business objectives

We get asked a lot, “What is North 40?” If you know who we are, that’s a difficult question to answer because we cover quite a few categories. Our message, “Make a difference in how people experience work and play” is truly our heartbeat here, and if something comes up that doesn’t live up to this, we don’t do it.