Director of Merchandising

POSITION SUMMARY:
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Merchandise Director to join our Direct-to-Consumer channel. The primary focus of this role is to plan and direct strategies for delivering product assortments to stores and digital channels that engage with and meet the needs and market demands of our consumers. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of merchandising strategies, consumer shopping behaviors focused on brick and mortar retail and ecommerce, and the product creation process. They will possess strong leadership skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with our Global Product, Planning & Allocation, Visual Merchandising and Marketing teams to achieve functional goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads and manages a team of buyers and assistant buyers to create and execute merchandise strategies that align with the company's goals through merchandising of product lines and final assortment selections.

• Collaborates with the product team to create compelling assortments that excite our consumers both in store and online. Participate in product creation sessions to give inciteful feedback on new seasonal styles, color direction, and pricing.

• Manages the buy quantities by style to maximize sales by creating seasonal price matrix by classification and identifies missed opportunities.

• Presents seasonal strategies by classification and supports the execution of merchandising plans based on classification analysis, key item opportunities, digital indicator metrics and consumer shopping trends.

• Provides insight to the planning, and allocation teams for store assortments, flow of merchandise and strategic priorities which are consistent with the strategic product direction.

• Continually evaluates current store floor layout to improve overall consumer shopping experience while increasing the GMROI. Monitors closeout and discontinued inventory to manage items to maintain a strong full price business across the fleet utilizing warehouse and outlet stores for end-of-life product.

• Familiarity with onsite digital demand sensing tools/processes to increase accuracy of the digital assortment collaborating with the eComm merchandising team.

• Conducts market research and analysis to identify emerging trends, customer demands, market demands, and competitive landscape.

• Serves as key partner in the Go-To-Market (“GTM”) process for Omnichannel, attends and participates in GTM and Product Creation meetings and takes a lead role in producing season hindsight recaps.

• Develops and maintains strong relationships with 3rd party vendors, negotiating favorable terms and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality complementary products.

• Works closely with the marketing team to develop effective product positioning and promotional strategies, developing seasonal storytelling digitally and in-store with Visual Merchandising and Site Merchandising to elevate our perpetual and seasonal products across our consumer types and activity groupings.

• In partnership with Inventory Management, monitors inventory levels, ensuring proper replenishment while minimizing stock-outs and excess inventory, meeting seasonal flow objectives and launch timing.

• Develops and maintains effective reporting tools and metrics to track merchandise performance and provides actionable insights to senior management on a weekly, seasonal and hindsight basis.

• Regularly shops the company’s stores and the competition to validate and develop pricing and positioning. Conducts regular store visits to monitor and ensure operational, service and visual standards are consistently high quality.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform the job successfully, an individual should have the following credentials:
• Bachelor's degree in Merchandising, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field. MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of leadership experience in merchandising, product management, or related roles, preferably in the direct-to-consumer industry.
• Proven track record of successfully building and managing assortments that drive sales and profitability.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and make fact-based decisions.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse group of professionals.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively articulate merchandising strategies and influence stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of consumer behavior, market dynamics, and industry trends.
• Proficient in using merchandising and inventory management software/systems.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing business needs.