Career Opportunities
Merchandise Manager
Job Function:
The Merchandise manager is responsible for meeting or exceeding planned sales, margin, and inventory turnover goals for their accounts. The objectives will be met through focused merchandise assortments, informed and educated product presentations, effective marketing, and sound merchandise management. This position reports directly to the Senior Merchandise Manager. This position works closely with the executive management team, supply chain management team, product development team, sales management team, and the merchandising services team to significantly improve account profitability.
Principal Activities/Objectives:
- Effectively increasing annual revenues in comparable stores so that they match or exceed the overall company growth rate.
- Achieving the annual sales, gross margin, and inventory turn goals.
- Accurately forecasting gross sales weekly and seasonal credits related to product returns and inventory markdowns.
- Collaborating with Finance and Cost Accounting to accurate forecast customer profitability through the corporate proforma process.
- Developing and implementing merchandising programs, including picking the assortments, pricing, selecting key items, and developing promotional strategies to drive sales.
- Building strong partnerships and negotiating appropriate merchandising programs with key accounts and buyers.
- Developing and communicating plan-o-grams and working closely with the stores on how to merchandise products effectively.
- Utilizing data to effectively determine which items to add and which to drop in order to maximize returns of the category.
- Recommending product mix and pricing utilizing quantifiable information to support the case.
- Providing collaborative guidance, direction and support to the planning organization in the development of merchandise, initial item inventory levels and forecasts, and ladder plans.
- Preparing product, sales analysis, strategies, and sales materials for account presentation meetings.
- Visiting store to evaluate overall assortment, observing and evaluating competitive products and strategies, and identifying any merchandising opportunities that could translate into profitable sales opportunities.
- Working collaboratively with Product Development regarding design styling, sourcing and pricing, and product branding.
- Participating in collaborative meetings with Supply Chain Management to ensure availability and the timely delivery of merchandise.
Nature and Scope:
The successful candidate will possess the following:
- Experience in merchandise planning and assortment planning at the retail level.
- Proven track record of successfully merchandising items that have led to a significant return on investment and profitable growth.
- Strong analytical skills coupled with the ability to effectively articulate decisions and plans.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate message to all levels of management within both internal and external customer management organizations.
- Results oriented and self-directed individual with the ability to work independently while keeping direct supervisors abreast of project status.
- Possess a good tactical business sense and be in tune with the needs of the customers, stores and the overall organization.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university; or four years related experience and/ or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Strong merchandising, product and analytical skills.
- Demonstrated leadership and decision making skills
- Proficiency in the use of desktop applications and Windows-based programs
- Retail math literacy and application of concepts to daily operations.