Associate Buyer at The Paper Store in Acton, MA

TPS Group Holdings, a family of brands including The Paper Store and Uncharted, is all about transforming daily routines into joyful escapes that inspire and surprise. Our mission is to connect with every customer through carefully chosen products, immersive shopping experiences, and service that goes the extra mile, creating a space that sparks joy with every visit.

Position Overview: As an Associate Buyer, Fashion & Accessories, you will manage an assigned portion of the business and play an active role in developing and executing category strategies that drive sales, margin, and profitability. You’ll partner with the Buyer and cross-functional teams to build compelling assortments, analyze performance, identify trends and opportunities, negotiate with vendors, and make recommendations that move the business forward.

We’re looking for someone with strong retail buying experience in Fashion, Accessories, Apparel, Handbags, or related categories, ideally within a fast-paced, high-SKU retail environment. You have a strong eye for product, understand the customer and competitive landscape, and know how to use sales, margin, inventory, and trend information to make sound business decisions.

What You’ll Do

Drive Category & Assortment Strategy

• Manage an assigned subset of the Fashion & Accessories business and support overall category strategy
• Participate in assortment planning, pricing, promotional strategies, and product selection
• Identify opportunities to drive sales, margin, and category performance
• Conduct competitive shopping to understand emerging trends, pricing, promotions, brands, and whitespace opportunities
• Partner with the Buyer to evaluate current performance and influence future assortments

Analyze the Business & Drive Results

• Analyze sales, sell-through, turn, gross margin, markdowns, and inventory on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and seasonal basis
• Use performance data to identify opportunities, risks, and recommended actions
• Monitor product performance and make recommendations on inventory, pricing, promotions, and future product
• Apply retail math and financial analysis to support category decisions
• Provide reporting and insights that help guide business strategy

Manage Vendors & Product Development

• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships
• Negotiate pricing, terms, and agreements to support sales and profitability goals
• Partner with vendors to identify new products and develop opportunities for the assortment
• Attend trade shows, market appointments, and vendor meetings to identify trends and newness
• Partner with Design and cross-functional teams on product development, patterns, samples, and product execution

Own Buying Operations & Product Flow

• Manage purchase orders, SKU setup, pricing, vendor changes, cancellations, and open-order maintenance
• Monitor product availability, shipping, backorders, and delivery status
• Execute allocations and replenishment and support the flow of inventory to stores
• Manage transfers, consolidations, recalls, and inventory-related issues
• Maintain accurate product, vendor, and purchase-order information in internal systems
• Ensure samples, product information, and seasonal materials are accurate and organized

Partner Cross-Functionally

• Work closely with Planning, Allocation, Design, Marketing, E-Commerce, Distribution Center, and store teams
• Partner with E-Commerce and Marketing to ensure products are accurately represented online
• Support merchandise directives, seasonal launches, promotional events, and key initiatives
• Communicate product changes, inventory issues, and business opportunities to appropriate partners
• Develop a strong understanding of the customer through store visits, competitive research, and business analysis

Who You Are

• 3-5 years of progressive retail buying experience within Fashion, Accessories, Apparel, Handbags, or related retail categories strongly preferred
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-SKU retail environment
• Demonstrated ability to manage an assigned portion of a category or product assortment
• Strong understanding of retail math, including sales, margin, inventory, sell-through, turn, markdowns, and profitability
• Experience working directly with vendors and participating in negotiations
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into business recommendations
• Strong product sense with an understanding of fashion trends, customers, and competitive positioning
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and comfortable working with detailed sales and inventory reporting
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative and able to build strong relationships across multiple functions
• Ability to work onsite 4+ days per week in Acton, MA

The Paper Store is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, veteran status, or any other classification protected by state, local or federal law.

Please be aware that any pay ranges displayed on The Paper Store's job postings are to accommodate the wide range of candidate experience, store sales volume and geography

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
• Good organizational skills including prioritizing, time management, and meeting deadlines.
• Strong numerical and analytical aptitude.
• 2-5 years of experience as an assistant buyer in a retail organization.
• Communication and negotiation skills/experience
• Ability to work 4+ days/week at the Corporate Office in Acton, MA
• Professional presentation in attire, demeanor, and appearance