Assistant Merchant

Assistant MerchantSince 1982, Ballard Designs has offered a unique curation of home furnishings and dcor from all periods and provenance. Its designers travel the world for inspiration, translating the latest trends in fashion, color, and style into finely crafted products not found anywhere else. Ballard Designs is part of the Cornerstone brands - four interactive, aspirational home and apparel lifestyle brands that deliver inspirations that help customers enjoy, enhance and celebrate life.The OpportunityThe Assistant Merchant supports the merchants in formulating and implementing merchandise plans for various categories. Additionally, they are responsible for a personal subcategory within a large category. The Assistant Merchant must interface with many areas, so it is imperative they have good communication skills and excellent follow-through. It is their responsibility to assist the merchant in maintaining various schedules and deadlines, so strong organizational ability is also key.You will report to the Sr Merchant.This role is required to come onsite 4 8 times per month.Your ImpactProduct DevelopmentAssist merchant and design team to create products based on categories product seasonality & trends.Monitor and research current and emerging design trends relevant to the industry and product categoryCreate product development sheets that are succinct, easy to understand across many languages and have all the details entered.Must possess a sharp eye for design and a deep understanding of the company's target customer to create visually compelling product.Product ProcurementCollect, organize, and regularly update all Product Specification Sheets for each merchant, ensuring exceptional accuracy and attention to detail in all documentation.Coordinate with sourcing and domestic vendors to ensure timely sample delivery for turnover and photographyOrder, track and organize all new samples for photography.Product Maintenance & InformationMaintain offer assortment electronically in Fcst 21Accuracy of product color and copy including description, sizes and finishes in print and e-commerceMaintain images of pick-up and new products by season.Maintain analysis of historical sales and data tables for all projects.Regularly maintain Assortment Boards, Drop Keep files, and Pivots prepared for Assortment Review, ensuring all content remains accurate, up-to-date, and ready for presentation.Maintain and flow new Vendor Set up formsWhat You BringBachelor's degree required; a focus in Business, Design, Merchandising, or a related field is a strong plus.Basic knowledge of retail math (e.g., margin, markup) to support product planning and analysis.Must demonstrate advanced proficiency in Excel, including functions such as VLOOKUP, pivot tables, and conditional formatting, with the ability to organize information clearly and support data-driven decisions.Strong computer proficiency required, with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suiteincluding Teams, Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPointfor efficient data analysis, documentation, communication, and presentation tasks.Strong analytical, organizational and phone skills.2 yrs. relevant work experience in a fast-paced environment.This position description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to be inclusive of all duties and responsibilities and is subject to change at any time.If you enjoy being a part of a team, creating experiences and delighting customers, you'll love it here. If you're excited about retail, media, social, live streaming, technology, customer service, design and more, you'll find amazing projects to work on. If you want to grow professionally and learn every day, you'll thrive with us. If you appreciate a company committed to inclusion and belonging for all, you'll be amazed at what's available for our team members. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package including competitive compensation, health care benefits starting on day 1, 401(k), paid time off, tuition reimbursement, employee assistance program, parental leave, paid volunteer hours, company discounts and much more. Best of all, working with QVC Group means friendly teams, ambitious projects and fast-moving careers