Associate Merchant

Description At Bath & Body Works, we believe everybody deserves to feel good. When you join us, you're part of more than an iconic fragrance and personal care brand — you become part of Gingham Nation, where people are at the center of everything we do. We believe great associate experiences create great consumer experiences. When our associates feel supported, inspired and empowered, consumers feel it. Whether you're starting your career or building your next chapter, we invest in your growth so you can learn, lead and help create feel good moments every day. The Associate Merchant is responsible for supporting the execution of the creative product development, maintaining seasonal line plans and driving testing strategies for specific categories. They will support in the delivery of sales and profit growth by helping drive the commercialization of new product launches, analyzing consumer insights to help drive key brand initiatives and supporting in-store product launches.

Specifically, this position will: • Work alongside Senior/Merchant on growth-driving brand strategy and planning, including new product development, pricing, promotions / sampling, internal associate education and training, patterning, performance analysis and hind-sighting • Support the creation of internal presentations to executives and cross-functional teams, from concept brainstorming to drafting documents to preparing meeting materials • Responsible for accurately coordinating new development projects, including process paperwork (e.g. Project Initiation Forms, Design Requests, Product Briefs for all products, sampling and gift sets), Costing Analysis and leading communication flow to cross-functional team members • Seek alignment on product description, claims, and aesthetics with partners • Collaborate with Commercialization Services to supervise timelines, anticipate / communicate issues and drive due dates on time • Supports the Merchant in developing a line plan that represents the Brand and is aligned with the seasonal merchandise strategy • Analyzes data in weekly business meetings to share result driving insights, customer feedback, and in-store merchandising opportunities • Seen as the category guide and "go to" person by their cross-functional partners • Support in meeting preparation, sample management, report evaluation and analysis and share their POV and recommendations based on current results and category strategy • Become the authority in market intelligence: understanding other retailer’s assortment, pricing and promotional strategy • Visit stores regularly to proactively solicit feedback from customers and sales associates Qualifications Qualifications • 3-5 years of related work experience in brand development, merchandise buying and/or retail management • Capability to take direction under moderate supervision • Experience patterning competitors and the marketplace, sees the opportunities, and ability to make recommendations for new insights • Broad-based eye for business with analytical and retail math skills • Demonstrates strong knowledgebase of trends and can creatively translate it to strategies to drive the business • Demonstrate a passion for product and customer satisfaction • Be a self-starter and work independently producing accurate work • Ability to lead through challenges, problem-solve and build a cohesive team • Exceptional ability to enhance cooperative working relationships • Able to multi-task and prioritize with a strong time management skills • Systems and computer proficiency (MS Office-Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel) Education • Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience Core Competencies Drives Results Action Oriented Collaborates Decision Making Nimble Learning Benefits Feeling good starts with you. We invest in benefits that support your well-being, growth and future, helping you thrive as a creator of feel good — every day. Benefits