Assistant Merchandise Buyer

At Disney Consumer Products, we inspire imagination around the world and are committed to creating happiness for families and fans by bringing captivating, inspiring, and inclusive products into their daily lives! From toys to t-shirts, console games, books, and more, our team brings our beloved brands and franchises into the lives of families through products and experiences that can be found worldwide, such as the Disney Store e-commerce platform, Disney Parks, local and international retailers, and Disney Store locations.

The Assistant Merchandise Buyer supports the Merchandise Buying Manager or Associate Merchandise Buying Manager in developing assortments for DisneyStore.com, flagship stores, and third-party marketplaces. This role contributes to the merchandise strategy for the assigned department that supports sales volume targets. This individual will demonstrate a strong understanding of brand identities, product categories, and consumer segments across the regional market landscape. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong organizational, prioritization, and communication skills, and builds effective cross-functional partnerships across regional channels.

This is an onsite position based at either our Kissimmee, FL or Glendale, CA office location.

Responsibilities/You Will:

• Partner with the Merchandise Leader to develop and execute the assortment strategy for your department, ensuring alignment with financial goals.

• Support the Merchandise Leader with the quarterly development of key categories from product ideation through sample creation.

• Report and present quarterly insights on cross-functional market trends, competitive analysis, and identify white space opportunities.

• Analyze business performance weekly, identifying wins, risks, and opportunities.

• Participate in departmental and team meetings, including global cross-functionals and business review meetings.

• Responsible for managing the assigned department’s range plan, including setup, stage set coordination, and updates.

• Build relationships with key licensing partners and vendors to augment product assortments.

• Establishes relationships with omni-channel partners, including Site Merchandising, Marketing, Production, Visual, and Guest Services, to ensure the department’s product strategy is implemented accurately.

• Review site assets, product pages, and URLs, providing feedback to copy and photography teams.

• Partner with Site Merchandising to ensure assortment discovery.  

• Lead the e-commerce turnover process, including the creation of turnover sheets, product details, photo sample tracking and presenting, and attend weekly fast-track meetings as needed.

• Prepare and maintain photobooks/playbook aligning with product flow calendar and quarterly showcase deliverables to support product hand-offs to Site Merchandising, Marketing, Copy & Creative.

• Monitor product quality reports with PI and Global Sourcing and communicate action plans.

• Support milestone meetings with presentation decks, business recaps, hindsight reports, and coordinating data points with Planning.

• Utilize quarterly business plans to select weekly product features for the homepage and Emails (JIRA) for your assigned department.

• Monitor and report on Bazaarvoice reviews to inform consumer-centric strategies.

• Ensure purchase order accuracy and approvals in line with buying and planning timelines.

• Track delivery of all category POs in partnership with the division Coordinator, logistics, and Sourcing. Escalate shipment issues in a timely manner and identify sales risks.

• Guide new vendors through the setup process as needed.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with global partners and stakeholders through consistent communication and reporting.

• Collaborate with key teams including Sourcing, Site Merchandising, Planning, O&O (Owned & Operated), GPC (Global Product Creation), and regional partners.

• Take ownership of your professional development through regular feedback and available training resources.

Basic Qualifications/You Have:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Solid presentation skills and ability to influence internal and external partners.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

• Self-starter mindset with adaptability and innovation.

• High attention to detail and accuracy.

• Collaborative approach and strong team orientation.

• Financial acumen.

• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Keynote.

• Flexibility to work across time zones as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in retail, ideally with an omni-channel retailer, buying related experience.

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 to 3 years of related buying experience.

Additional Information:

Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.

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The hiring range for this position in California is $58,700 to $78,600 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.