General Summary of Purpose:

As the Assistant Merchant, you will partner with a customer centric Merchant Team to execute key merchandising strategies. Assists in identified sales opportunities that meet the marketing and merchandising objectives of the company. The Assistant Merchant experience is a comprehensive development-based role, designed to facilitate a robust Merchandising career path.  Partners with Product Design, Sourcing, E-Commerce, Creative, Personalization, Inventory, and Corporate Communications.

Assistant Merchant

Are you ready for a career where fun means business?  Join us at Oriental Trading Company, a Berkshire Hathaway Company!

Essential Functions:

• Build a sense of brand, customer and trend awareness.
• Have a general understanding of internal business trends by analyzing reports.
• Assist in providing merchandise assortment input and concepting of new items.
• Approve photography and copy, maintaining customer solution focus.
• Assist Associate Merchant in E-book and Soft Proofing processes for catalogs by reviewing overall catalog spreads; make necessary changes to remove and replace items in offers if needed.
• Assists Associate Merchant and E-Commerce to provide direction for web navigation, attribution, homepage rotations, landing pages, e-mail campaigns, Web content, social networking and seasonal promotions.
• Assist Divisional Merchandising Manager with partnerships between Merchandising and Corporate Communications to include events, promotions, product donations, and product placement ads.  Assist in partnering with Corporate Communications and vendors on external brand awareness projects; act as a community ambassador.
• Ability to bridge and enhance cooperative working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Develop and propose process and procedural changes which will improve operation of the department. Participate fully in initiatives such as MAPS & PIM.
• Coordinate and execute web and catalog content and projects.
• Maintain regular and predictable attendance.
• Abide by all policies and procedures of Oriental Trading Company.
• Must be able to attend face to face meetings on short or little advance notice.
• Work requires in-person collaboration among colleagues and contractors.

Marginal Functions:

• Perform other duties and projects as assigned

Here’s what you need to join the fun:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to analyze quantitative data
• Ability to communicate appropriately to all levels of the organization
• Ability to drive focus, set priorities and remain flexible in an on-going changing environment
• Build strong communication, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Ability to walk, sit and stand for short and extended periods of time

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Merchandising or Business or equivalent work experience is preferred

Experience:

• One to three years related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of experience and education is preferred

All work and no play just isn’t our style. Join us today!

To apply in less than ten minutes click the “Apply” button or view a complete list of our current openings at http://www.myotccareer.com

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Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com), is the nation’s largest direct retailer of value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading provider of teaching supplies and affordable home décor and giftware. Founded in 1932 by a Japanese American, the Oriental Trading' history of fun spans the better part of the last century. Today, Oriental Trading offers more than 60,000 products to individuals, teachers, schools, churches, businesses and nonprofits. With a corporate vision to “Make Life More Fun,” Oriental Trading (a Berkshire Hathaway company) spreads joy and smiles to millions each year through a robust family of brands; Oriental Trading, Fun Express, MindWare, SmileMakers, Morris Costumes and halloweenexpress.com.

EOE