Associate Product Buyer - Event Gifting

POSITION PURPOSE:

ACCOUNTABILITIES & PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS:

• The Associate Product Buyer will be responsible for managing and tracking incoming request for proposals, rework, and miscellaneous requests.  This includes: 
• Ownership of the Event Gifting email inbox
• Delegation and tracking of Proposal Requests to Buyers 
• Confirm all information required for Buyer to develop proposal has been provided by Requester 
• Creating/and or Managing client folders to capture required forms, documents, and communication
• The Associate Product Buyer will be responsible for management of supplier and client invoices: 
• Ability to understand pricing strategies such as:  
• How to negotiate wholesale discounts with suppliers
• Applying margin/mark-up which meets ITA’s financial goals as well as provides value to clients 
• Estimate shipping and taxes 
• Ability to understand and estimate total Event costs, inclusive of staffing costs, travel costs, cost of “merchandising” the gifts (visual presentation – linens, décor, etc.), any communication elements included with event (ex. Event Gifting Vouchers)  
• Post event, ability to reconcile estimated costs with final vendor invoices 
• Approve and process supplier invoices and collaborating closely with Accounting department 
• Supply detailed expense reports to be included in Client Invoices 
• Event Gifting is continuously researching and adding new Suppliers.  The Associate Product Buyer will be responsible for maintaining a current database of all Supplier information, inclusive of: 
• Supplier Name
• Contact Information 
• Key Brands, Categories, and/or Products 
• Negotiated Discounts 
• Performance Notes 
• On an as-needed basis, The Associate Product Buyer may also be responsible for executing Event Gifting programs once orders are confirmed by the Buyer.  This is inclusive of: 
• Placing & managing Purchase Orders with multiple vendors 
• Securing accurate artwork and proof approval for custom orders
• Disciplined document management; ability to follow internal processes for tracking, managing, and saving order information to allow cross-functional team members to access event gifting information 
• The Associate Buyer will be asked to develop creative proposals inclusive of new, exciting, and rewarding merchandise gifts and experiences: 
• Ongoing, proactive research of products trending in the event gifting and retail space 
• Collaboration with teammates to share product knowledge 
• Ability to establish relationships with new and existing suppliers  
• Ability to create visually pleasing proposals in Microsoft PowerPoint; Critical attention to detail is necessary; expected proposal accuracy of 100% 
• Proposals to include rationale, description, and pricing related to various components of event Gifting: 
• Merchandise 
• Event Staffing 
• Travel 
• Taxes & Duties
• Shipping & Handling 
• Event Operations
• Communication or Marketing Elements
• Collaboration with our internal marketing group (Communications Solutions Group, or CSG) to provide event gifting programs that cohesively align with communication strategy of the event 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience in purchasing, inclusive of order management and accounting reconciliation preferred but not required
• Experience in a cross-functional, corporate environment preferred
• Knowledge of group event industry a plus 
• Ability to travel as needed 
• Understanding of merchandise pricing (margin and/or mark-up) 
• Excellent skills with Microsoft Office products, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Superior oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work the time necessary to complete projects and/or meet deadlines.