Associate Vendor Manager

The AVM will own an assigned portfolio of vendors and categories in support of the Vendor Management organization. Specific category assignments may change based on business needs.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Vendor Relationship Management: Own relationships with an assigned portion of the 3P vendor base. Collaborate regularly with vendor sales counterparts, source strategic product selection, monitor performance, and help resolve operational issues as needed.
• Assortment Planning and Product Setup: Review vendor product proposals and select products that support the curation and merchandising strategy. Coordinate product setup with offshore and cross-functional partners, ensuring accurate and timely execution.
• Business Analysis: Contribute to Weekly Business Reviews and evaluate week-over-week, year-over-year, and seasonal performance. Translate multiple data sources into clear recommendations and actions that improve results.
• Promotional Planning and Funding: Source vendor funding for Ashley promotional events, document commitments, and ensure agreed-upon support is collected in a timely manner.
• Vendor Negotiations: Own contract and commercial negotiations for assigned vendors, including initial marketing, damage, and payment terms, along with ongoing agreement maintenance and renegotiation as the business evolves.
• Market Preparation: Support preparation for major home furnishings and furniture markets attended by the Vendor Management team. Travel for market attendance is expected approximately 4 to 6 times annually.
• Cross-Functional Execution: Partner with Site Merchandising, Product Enablement, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and other teams to launch products, resolve issues, and deliver category and vendor plans.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to simplify work, improve processes, strengthen vendor self-service, and enable appropriate automation while maintaining ownership of required manual work.

Success Profile

The ideal candidate is a persistent self-starter who works effectively with a high degree of autonomy. This person demonstrates strong ownership, follows through on commitments, is comfortable handling both strategic and detailed work, and actively looks for better ways to deliver results.

What Do You Need?

• 3 to 5 years of experience in vendor management, category management, merchandising, retail buying, or a related role (required)
• E-commerce experience (preferred)
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, merchandising, marketing, or a related field (preferred)
• Strong attention to detail and consistent follow-through
• Ability to synthesize distinct analyses and data sources into actionable business insights
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work in a highly collaborative, cross-functional environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Excel
• Ability to travel approximately 4 to 6 times annually