JOB TITLE: Buying Trainee
REPORTS TO: Sr. Director, Women’s Merchandising & Retail Planning
JOB PURPOSE:
The Buying Trainee will participate in an internship that provides learning, performance, and experiential based elements. In this role, the Buying Trainee will work alongside the TOM FORD Fashion, Americas Merchandising Team gaining hands on exposure to the fashion buying process, merchandising strategy, and retail business. This internship will provide foundational experience in fashion buying through day-to-day tasks as well as participation in functional projects.
TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist in the day-to-day execution of the Merchandising function including seasonal strategies, collection launches and buying sessions for the Americas region.
- In partnership with the Merchandising team, participate in and support hindsight reporting, store transfers, style creation and maintenance, and assist in monitoring the licensed business.
- Leverage strong Excel skills to help monitor sales and sell-through by door/category.
- Utilize understanding of business and function to propose opportunities for consolidations and stock optimization.
- In partnership with the Buying Associates and Assistants, track deliveries and maintain weekly shipping and inventory reports.
- Assist with the development and maintenance of critical merchandising tools such as buy books, product training decks, and seasonal action plans.
- Participate in weekly store calls with the direction of the Merchandising Team to communicate key messages and to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback from stores to support their Merchandising needs.
- Through on the job learning, provide general administrative and analytical support which include ad hoc reporting, pricing updates, and produce benchmarking.
- Engage in ongoing learning opportunities to strengthen analytical capabilities, improve business judgment, and build a strong understanding of end-to-end retail buying processes.
- Participate in projects and initiatives as directed by the Merchandising team that foster collaboration with cross-functional teams and expand knowledge and capabilities for the Buying function.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 1-2 years of experience in merchandising, buying and/or planning rolesor recently completed a degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or prior Internship experience.
- Strong passion for the fashion and luxury retail industry with some luxury experience preferred.
- Interest in product strategy, sales analysis, and merchandising within a luxury environment.
- Analytical, knowledgeable in retail math concepts, critical thinking
- Excellent attention to detail, accuracy, organizational, and time-management skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, v-lookups) and PowerPoint preferred.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
