Category Buyer

We’re hiring Mastermind Toys has big plans and we want YOU to join our growing team We have a customer-obsessed culture, which we believe starts with employee experience. We jump at the chance to co-create with our customers and employees, while staying true to our Canadian roots. Over 40 years later, Mastermind Toys is the nation’s largest specialty toy and children’s bookstore, and we deeply believe that “Play Comes First”.

We are currently seeking a **Category Buyer** to join our Merchandising team. This position is responsible for planning, selecting and implementing the purchase of a range of products within set categories to sell in store and online. This position is a new vacancy.

**Responsibilities**:
**Autonomy and Oversight**:

- Category buyers are responsible for hitting a wide variety of targets and metrics for assigned categories
- Buyers are expected to seek and gain alignment from buying management on a regular basis
- Buyers are responsible for the performance of their categories

**Category Management**:
Category Strategy
- Buyer is responsible for category strategy at a high-level, communicating to key stakeholders
- This includes product feel, space and presentation, online extensions, and general goals and aims on a key metric basis including strong knowledge of current customer wants, needs and desires, 360 lens of customer positioning

Item Selection
- Buyer must determine store assortment strategy by category (M1, M2, M3) with inventory and shelf space considerations as well as defining the appropriate allocation for web sales

Pricing & Margin
- Buyer responsible for negotiating item costs, choosing item prices to maximize margin dollars while managing competitiveness
- Must consider value statement to customer, competitive landscape, promotional possibility and overall pricing and margin mix in category
- End goal is to balance to established margin targets

Forecasting, Inventory, & Open to Buy Management
- Buyer responsible for determining initial buy quantities and shelf loads
- Buyer responsible for managing ongoing inventory composition to adhere to open to buy targeting set by planning team, and working with planning team in this capacity on an ongoing basis, including maintaining strong in-stock positions both in-store, online and in warehouse, balanced against turn and open to buy status
- Buyer is responsible for monitoring relevant data and executing replenishment orders to achieve sales and inventory objectives
- Buyer responsible for peak season (Q4) forecasting, working with vendors in this regard, and ensuring balanced and appropriate flow for key selling period

Clearance
- Buyer responsible for items exiting the assortment, clearance strategies and overall clearance inventory levels

Marketing & Promotion
- Buyer responsible for developing promotional and marketing campaigns, in conjunction with key stakeholders
- Negotiating with supplier on vendor income, promotional support, giveaways, signage support, etc
- Working with all stakeholders to ensure excellent execution of all aspects of marketing and promotional campaigns

Digital Presentation

Product Knowledge
- Buyer is responsible for obtaining and creating materials to help store employees understand product

**Vendor Relationship Management**

Reputation and communication
- Buyer is responsible for maintaining positive working relationships with key suppliers
- Buyer is responsible for frequent and prompt communication with vendors

Negotiation

Meetings
- Buyer is responsible for preparing for and conducting regular meetings with suppliers

Trade shows
- Buyer will attend trade shows to meet with existing vendors and source new vendors

**Administrative Support**
- Buyer is responsible for administrative activities relevant to their role including purchase order management, master data management, ecommerce data management, etc
- Buyers are also responsible for purchase order management in terms of understanding where and when purchase orders will arrive, and engaging key logistics and allocation stakeholders as necessary
- Buyers must aid finance team in resolving discrepancies, disputes and other issues arising from invoice and purchase order resolution
- Buyers may be aided by support staff in administrative efforts, but are ultimately responsible for the integrity of their data

**Qualifications**:

- Post
- secondary degree/diploma required, Business, Purchasing, Supply Chain Management Professional designation or equivalent experience
- Minimum 2 years comparable experience
- Previous retail product purchasing experience required (specific category preferred)
- Detail oriented and able to manage projects from inception to execution
- Strong & clear verbal and written communication skills
- Mastermind Toys is committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. Upon request, Mastermind Toys will, in consultation with the applicant, deter