Retail Buyer

Position Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Compensation: $60,000-$70,000

About Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, the former home of George and Martha Washington, is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States.

Founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association pioneered the preservation of a historic American site for future generations. Today, the Association works to preserve, restore, and manage the Mount Vernon estate to the highest standards while educating visitors and people around the world about the life and legacies of George Washington.

Position Summary

The Retail Buyer supports Mount Vernon’s mission by planning, purchasing, and maintaining the merchandise assortment for assigned categories. This position manages inventory levels, executes replenishment strategies, and maintains vendor relationships to support retail sales and an engaging visitor experience.

The Buyer ensures merchandise reflects Mount Vernon’s educational priorities, including George Washington, his family, estate life, business ventures, military and political leadership, and 18th-century history relevant to Washington, D.C., Alexandria, and Virginia.

Working across Retail, Library, Warehouse, Finance, Events, and Marketing, the Buyer coordinates merchandise flow, supports book signings and special events, and maintains a well-curated product mix. Cin7 Core is Mount Vernon’s inventory management system of record, and Shopify is its point-of-sale (POS) system.

Essential Duties

• Merchandise Planning and Purchasing
• Plan and maintain a balanced assortment for assigned categories that supports Mount Vernon’s mission, customer interests, sales goals, and approved budgets.
• Monitor sales trends, forecasts, seasonality, and stock requirements to guide purchasing decisions and generate timely, accurate purchase orders within approved authority.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant publications and merchandise; share product information and historical context with staff.
• Develop book merchandising plans with input from Library, Events, and Retail leadership; identify assortment gaps and recommend new titles and products.
• Track open orders, backorders, quantities, ship dates, cancel dates, and delivery details; adjust orders as demand and operational needs change.
• Provide updates to the Director of Retail every two weeks on open orders, inventory concerns, and purchasing priorities.
• Inventory Management and Replenishment
• Maintain appropriate stock levels and replenishment schedules to support product availability while limiting excess and aged inventory.
• Review category performance, inventory turns, days on hand, gross margins, and SKU productivity; plan reorders, markdowns, and product discontinuations.
• Coordinate replenishment and merchandise transfers with Retail and Warehouse teams.
• Partner with Warehouse to confirm deliveries, address quality concerns, and resolve receiving discrepancies.
• Participate in annual physical inventory preparation and counts, including review and cleanup of category records.
• Vendor Relationships and Issue Resolution
• Maintain productive vendor and publisher relationships that support reliable, timely, and cost-efficient delivery.
• Coordinate pricing, purchasing terms, product availability, and delivery schedules; evaluate vendor performance and follow through on concerns.
• Resolve pricing changes, delays, shortages, damages, and invoicing discrepancies with vendors and the appropriate internal teams.
• Coordinate vendor returns, replacements, and credit requests, and track them through resolution.
• Systems and Data Accuracy
• Maintain accurate purchasing, SKU, vendor, cost, retail price, and replenishment information in Cin7 Core as the inventory management system of record.
• Coordinate with the appropriate system owners to resolve product, pricing, or inventory discrepancies affecting Shopify POS and maintain consistency with Cin7 Core.
• Produce regular reports on inventory performance, category needs, open orders, vendor issues, and replenishment activity.
• Work with the Retail Office Manager to support invoice accuracy and timely processing; maintain organized purchasing records for continuity and audit readiness.
• Cross Department Collaboration and Event Support
• Coordinate inventory needs, delivery timing, signage, and merchandising with Events and Retail for book signings, special programs, and promotions.
• Provide product descriptions, images, historical context, and other information needed by Marketing and eCommerce teams.
• Communicate incoming merchandise, stock concerns, and delivery changes to affected departments.

Performance Expectations

• Maintain in-stock levels of 90–94% for assigned categories, excluding uncontrollable vendor delays, and reduce out-of-stock instances through improved forecasting and order follow-up.
• Keep overstock of 120 or more days on hand within category goals; improve inventory turns year over year and address slow sellers through timely markdown and product exit recommendations.
• Support category gross margin goals through thoughtful purchasing, replenishment, and cost management.
• Submit accurate purchase orders on time and follow up on confirmed ship and cancel dates.
• Resolve vendor discrepancies within five business days whenever possible; communicate outstanding issues and next steps when additional time is needed.
• Maintain accurate item setup and purchasing records, prepare categories for inventory counts, and demonstrate reliable, professional collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• Three to four years of experience in retail buying, inventory management, or procurement; museum retail or publications experience is a plus.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel, with the ability to turn sales and inventory data into purchasing decisions.
• Experience with inventory management and POS systems. Experience with Cin7 Core and Shopify is a plus.
• Effective problem-solving, communication, vendor relationship, and negotiation skills.
• Strong organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A dependable, collaborative approach and an interest in American history and Mount Vernon’s educational mission.

Work Environment

This role is performed in a retail or gift shop setting and involves frequent interaction with the public. The work environment can be busy and fast-paced, especially during peak visitor hours. The noise level is generally moderate, but can be high during our peak season.

Physical Requirements

• The employee must be able to stand for extended periods, walk throughout the store, and use their hands to handle merchandise, operate a cash register, and restock shelves.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds is required.
• Clear communication skills are essential.

Benefits

• 403(b) Retirement plan with employer matching
• Employee recognition at 5 years of service
• Monthly employee events
• Employee referral program

On-site Library

Discount on Public Event Tickets

Discount in the Mount Vernon Shops

Discount at the Mount Vernon Inn and The General’s Canteen

Free parking

Health, Vision, and Dental insurance

Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance

Paid leave for sick time, vacation, and Holidays

Flexible spending account for medical care

Mount Vernon is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to building and retaining a team that represents a variety of skills, experiences, and perspectives. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, performance, and qualifications without regard to race, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, gender/sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, veteran and military status, family or parental status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Mount Vernon will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.