Looking for a career you’ll really love? PetSmart is looking for graduating seniors excited to jump start their career through hands-on experience as a Merchant Trainee in our Phoenix Home Office. Through this program, you will gain a range of experience to help you be successful in more specific roles within PetSmart’s Merchandising department. As the foundation for all of PetSmart’s operations, associates at our Phoenix Home Office thrive in a collaborative culture where being the trusted partner to parents and pets in every moment of their lives is priority number one. 

Hybrid Position: 

This position may be considered Hybrid based on PetSmart’s FlexSmart policy and business needs. A Hybrid work arrangement is considered to be a blend of onsite and remote work activity. Associates with a Hybrid work arrangement have a work space at Phoenix Home Office and can be required to come onsite between 1-5 days a week as determined by leadership and based on business needs.

This Merchant Trainee Program allows recent college graduates the chance to explore the opportunities within the Merchandising departments at PetSmart. This program consists of comprehensive learning, on-the-job training, and opportunities to develop essential business skills.

• You’ll spend time working alongside Buyers, Demand Planners and Space Planners among others, which make an impact on your business.
• You’ll learn about cross-functional areas including Supply Chain and Operations.
• After you’ve completed your training, you’ll be placed in a business area where you will be able to start applying your knowledge and skills to help drive results.
• Our Merchandising career path is clearly defined and offers many opportunities for professional growth and advancement as you develop your merchant skills.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

• Engage in a program that will prepare you for future responsibilities as a PetSmart merchant:
• Make sure the right product is at the right location at the right time
• Achieves sales, margin, inventory turnover, and other KPIs as designated to plan
• Manage store in-stocks, purchase order on time, and fill rate
• Implement best practices and identify opportunities for improvement to support positive growth in sales/margin, drive cost reductions, and enable a strong cross-functional team
• Support the assortment, analysis, and promotion of a specific category
• Set the merchandise strategy for the team including assortment selection, pricing, promotions, and POGs
• Stay abreast of market and competitor trends
• Develop and manage vendor relationships in order to ensure the best prices, products, and shipments
• Identify items to maximize promotional and marketing strategies to meet sales and margin goals
• Drive vendor selection and negotiation of product purchase, terms, and ongoing relationship

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

• Graduating Senior (Between Fall 2024 and May 2025 - This position will start in June 2025)
• Current associates are eligible with approval from VP or DL
• Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Retail, Supply Chain, Business, Finance, or a related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Be able to solve complex problems, and you have data to back it up
• Extremely organized and able to multi-task
• Must be able to produce work in a collaborative, team environment
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required
• Like working in a fast-paced, team environment that is constantly changing
• Are naturally curious and love diving deep into details to find solutions

Our home office offers outstanding amenities in a fun and rewarding workplace including:

• Pet friendly environment, bring your pets to work!
• A work-life balance and family events such as movie nights, art events and holiday festivals
• “Top Dog” gym with equipment, fitness classes, massage therapists and personal trainers
• “Sit & Stay” Café serving fresh breakfast and lunch options
• Starbucks cart—productivity at its finest!
• “Lil’ Paws” learning center and onsite daycare facility
• Volunteer events with PetSmart Charities