Merchandising Assistant
Cos Bar Merchandising Assistant
Cos Bar Merchandising Assistant — Job Description
Job Overview
As the Merchandising Assistant for Cos Bar, you will be the operational engine behind the Buying team, managing item setup, vendor and store communication, and day-to-day order execution across our brand portfolio and 23 stores. You will partner with Buying, Planning, Ecommerce, Stores, and Marketing to turn new launches, forecasts, and vendor programs into accurate, on-time execution, keeping items, orders, and communication running smoothly across the business. The role reports to the Senior Director of Merchandising.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Item Setup & Maintenance
Job Overview
As the Merchandising Assistant for Cos Bar, you will be the operational engine behind the Buying team, managing item setup, vendor and store communication, and day-to-day order execution across our brand portfolio and 23 stores. You will partner with Buying, Planning, Ecommerce, Stores, and Marketing to turn new launches, forecasts, and vendor programs into accurate, on-time execution, keeping items, orders, and communication running smoothly across the business. The role reports to the Senior Director of Merchandising.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Item Setup & Maintenance
- Request and track item/SKU information, copy, and website/photo assets from vendors ahead of new launches, following up until complete
- Input new launch and forecast information into new item docs and update on an ad hoc basis for vendor changes (launch dates, etc.)
- Set up new items in NetSuite ahead of OTB using the new item template, ensuring timely sync before POs are written
- Communicate with the Ecommerce team on web parent SKU needs
- Process ad hoc SKU updates throughout the year (price changes, status changes, discontinued items, UPC changes, Shopify unsync at RTV)
- Support the biannual product classification update
Vendor & Store Communication
- Own the weekly “Behind the Bar” update — compile new product/vendor launch information, RTVs, and SPIFFs, and follow up with vendors on missing info (tester DIFs, VM updates)
- Chase RTV information from vendors and stores, confirm accurate entry in NetSuite, and communicate completion back to vendors
- Create and manage retail activity calendar invites for RTV deadlines and price changes
Purchase Order & Transfer Execution
- Build and import purchase orders into NetSuite from Planning's finalized forecast sheets; email POs to vendors (EDI and non-EDI)
- Process monthly cancellations of past-due purchase orders in NetSuite and Newstore, and communicate cancellations to vendors
- Create and import miscellaneous transfer orders 2–3 times a year between OTB cycles, using the forecast sheet as a base
Reporting & Program Support
- Pull raw store, item, and collection sales reports as requested to support Buying and Planning
- Support SPIFF reporting — pull data and share with vendors and Accounts Payable for store payout
- Support GWP programs — gather item information for Ecomm setup and maintain the GWP tracker
- Maintain the vendor out-of-stock tracker — gather OOS lists from vendors and update the store-facing OOS form
- Prepare and track vendor invoices for co-op and GWP bag event confirmations, looping in Marketing once signed
- Support ad hoc GWP placements, including vendor requests, store allocation, and asset/copy coordination
Key Outcomes / Success Metrics
- Item setup and launch readiness consistently on time and error-free ahead of OTB and vendor launch dates
- RTV, SPIFF, and store communication deadlines consistently met
- Clean, accurate PO and transfer execution in NetSuite with minimal rework
- Buying and Planning are freed from day-to-day execution to focus on strategy, curation, and forecasting
Qualifications
- 1–3 years of experience in retail merchandising, buying support, or vendor/account coordination (beauty industry a plus)
- Proficiency in Excel; experience with NetSuite or a similar ERP/order management system preferred
- Highly organized with strong follow-through across multiple concurrent vendor and store deadlines
- Clear, professional written and verbal communication for daily vendor- and store-facing coordination
- Comfortable working cross-functionally across Buying, Planning, Ecommerce, and Marketing