Account Executive II

A multi-faceted position that is responsible for driving sales and executing strategic merchandising plans, by brand and platform, in order to achieve the financial and business goals of the company for customer accounts

Position Responsibilities:

• Maintain relationships with Buyers and Assistant Buyers to grow new and existing programs
• Responsible for working with accounts to develop assortment plans (skus counts) by product platforms
• Responsible for developing and implementing business and product strategies to optimize sales and profit for the retailer and our company
• Responsible for working closely with design and Product Management to initiate new product development and place production buys at the planned markup percentage for the company
• Responsible for coordinating with the Brand, Product & Design teams to initiate new programs/patterns for planned production buys
• Collaborate with Brand and Product teams to identify merchandise strategies 9 months in advance of in-store dates
• Identify CAD, Sample & Digital needs prior to each customer selection meeting
• Responsible for taking a broad view of the competitive landscape to determine where the Company’s products are positioned against competitors with respect to design, price and value
• Collaborate with Product and Design teams on assuring “product excellence” that will assure a high rate of POS success.
• Responsible for scheduling buyer meetings and preparing agendas for each meeting
• Responsible for recapping buyer meetings and providing teams with next step requirement and deadlines
• Responsible for following up with Buyers to finalize assortment decisions
• Responsible for preparation for and scheduling of next customer meeting.
• Responsible for ensuring that the product meets the sales, pricing and margin goals of the Company
• Responsible for providing sales estimates by project and projection worksheets
• Responsible for coordinating “tag on” efforts in production planning/color minimums across multiple customers
• Responsible for understanding carton sizes, case packs, container fill information for each potential quote(s) and/or order(s)
• Responsible for supervision of all manual and EDI purchase orders received from Buyers
• Responsible for obtaining projections, taking into consideration production lead times
• Responsible for working with the Planning department and our vendors to meet all production minimums
• Responsible for project management by communicating the changing priorities of projects

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in Sales, Business, or a related field
• Minimum of five years of previous experience in product/brand management or marketing position
• Minimum of four years of buying line exposure and understanding of retail cycles
• Knowledge of competitive market is vital in order to determine future trends and needs in addition to identifying core product opportunities
• Ability to multi-task on a routine basis, be detail-oriented, adapt plans and change direction as needed, have a proactive mindset and have the ability to perform the job under a moderate to high level of stress
• Vision abilities to include vision, peripheral vision and depth perception
• Ability to speak and write the English language
• Strong computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs to include Excel
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in order to effectively communicate and report information to all levels of the Company and effectively communicate with international vendors
• Possess strong organizational and analytical skills
• Possess strong negotiation skills
• Possess a team oriented mentality
• Previous experience in successfully handling time sensitive projects and meeting assigned deadlines
• Ability to prioritize work/projects and answer questions related to work assignments in a fast paced environment
• Ability to problem solve as needed
• Ability to work with minimal supervision on a daily basis
• Ability to handle confidential information