Assistant Buyer - Omnichannel Merchandising

Want to help pets live their best lives?

We’re proud to be where the pets go and where the pet people go. If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you.

Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what’s right for pets and people.

• Pet First – Protect & Empower. All pets should Live their Best Life. We put the needs of pets and pet parents at the center of everything we do.
• Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond. Our Passion for pets brings us together! We celebrate the journey of pet parenthood through district experiences, products, and services.
• Let’s Go! Own & Commit. We are stronger as One Petco team. We bring our unique superpowers and champion authenticity in everyone to drive success.

We’re proud to be 'where the pets go' to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we’re here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way. We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love. Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

This role is based out of our National Support Center in San Diego and has a hybrid work schedule, with in-office work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.​

The Assistant Buyer is an entry omnichannel merchandising professional responsible for owning and driving key components the end-to-end product lifecycle across stores and digital channels. This role is highly detail-oriented and performs work directly related to merchandising and category operations and performs analysis and exercises independent judgement in making recommendations that directly influence merchandising, assortment, and financial decisions. The work is focused on flawless coordination, execution accuracy, and on-time delivery of product and program initiatives.

Working close partnership with the Buyer or Senior Buyer, the Assistant Buyer exercises judgement to prioritize initiatives, identify business risks, determinate corrective actions, and ensure accurate execution of assortment execution, vendor coordination, item setup, and go-to-market activities.

This role is designed as a development path toward an Omnichannel Associate Buyer role and provides foundational exposure to vendor management, cross-functional collaboration, and category operations. The Assistant Buyer brings strong energy, ownership, and a growth mindset, continuously improving in service of internal partners, frontline teams, and customers while building core retail fundamentals and trend awareness.

Key Responsibilities

Product Lifecycle Coordination & Execution

• Lead coordination and execution of the product lifecycle from item setup through launch and in-season execution across channels.
• Ensure item data, attributes, costs, retails, and timelines are accurate and complete in all systems. Investigate discrepancies and recommend corrective action.
• Manage product setup, maintenance, and change requests with merchandising standards and timelines.
• Oversee milestone deliverables including samples, approvals, and packaging inputs to ensure alignment with launch and financial objectives.
• Manage timely product launches and assortment updates across store and digital platforms and communicate potential risks or delays.
• Identify process inefficiencies and suggest improvements to support operational effectiveness.

Category & Business Support

• Prepare, review, and analyze reports related to sales performance, inventory levels, promotional activity, and vendor f