Retail Buyer (27776)

About The Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum is among America’s most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum’s campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects. The Walters Art Museum has a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated per the CDC’s definition of full vaccination.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educator and storyteller, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art to their lives. The Walters Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for visitors. The museum offers challenging and creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museum’s Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and shares; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision-making.

Overview Of Role

The Retail Operations Buyer will maximize the visitor experience and meet financial goals by ensuring excellent products and experiences within the store. The Buyer will support the Walters’ educational mission, represent the best interest of the museum and contribute financially to the Institution by attaining sales goals.

Duties And Responsibilities

The Buyer of Retail Operations will develop and implement a retail program based on the Walter’s Art Museum’s collection and mission, exhibitions, events and programs, and industry trends, and align product development and buying with this program. This program is developed to ensure that operations are profitable and support the museum’s strategic plan. Key duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Purchase and develop merchandise that supports the museum’s mission and goals.
• Maintain product quality to enhance visitor experience and organizational brand.
• Coordinate all necessary inventories for special exhibits and museum events
• Plan, develop, and find sources for merchandise. Ensure merchandise pricing is set to achieve store goals in revenue, margin, conversion and average sale
• Communicate with vendors and product representatives to plan seasonal and custom ordering, and to select marketable goods and gifts appropriate to the potential buying audience, season of the year, and recognized customer demand.
• Continually research new vendors for fresh inventory and ensure that all merchandise meets the high standards of the Walters.
• Designs and implements creative displays that showcase merchandise. Drive sales through effective merchandising.
• Organize seasonal plans for display and presentation of merchandise. Assist with in-store and window displays.
• Coordinate all necessary inventories for special exhibitions and museum events. Review inventory and monitor customer preferences to determine the focus of sales efforts.
• Collaborate with the curatorial staff to establish products that align with the Museums’ exhibitions, programs and events.
• Serves as liaison between the Store and other departments within the Museum (e.g., Visitor Experience, Learning & Community Engagement, Exhibition Planning, Curatorial) on a variety of projects including merchandise for special exhibitions and custom product. Cultivates internal relationships with curators to ensure merchandise accurately reflects permanent collection and exhibitions. Work with marketing team to create promotional campaigns to attract new and repeat customers.
• All other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

• BA degree from a four-year college or university, or 5 years related retail buying experience.
• Proven leadership skills by building trust, credibility and partnership with supervisors and direct reports.
• Experience interpreting, analyzing, and utilizing retail sales data and metrics.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels within the organization.
• Organized and detail oriented with superb time management skills.
• A detail and results-oriented self–starter, who exhibits initiative and provides leadership by example. Effective problem solving, critical thinking and multi-tasking experience are also essential.
• Must demonstrate the ability to conduct themselves with integrity, both personally and professionally
  
  

The Walters Art Museum provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, prescription, vision, subsidized transportation and parking, museum membership, short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, FSA (flexible spending account), 457b retirement, and free professional financial management counseling.

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The museum does not sponsor work visas.