SVP OF MERCHANDISING
CHICAGO, IL
BRICK EXECUTIVE SEARCH has partnered with a company that in just 21 years in business has become the nation’s fastest-growing and dynamic contemporary, fast fashion retailer. With both Brick and Mortar locations and an e-commerce presence, this company is the “GO TO” for those who want to BE SEEN. We are searching for an SVP of Merchandising who can work in lockstep with one of the owners to drive this business to a global scope.
This position will report to the Chief Merchandising & Design Officer
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the Merchandising team to drive sales and margin growth, supporting financial and brand objectives based on a deep understanding of the consumer and the competitive landscape. Departments include Sportswear and Dresses. Handbags, and Accessories
- Collaborate with Design and Marketing to develop and road map annual initiatives and opportunities to drive brand growth.
- Develop seasonal financial and product strategies with Design, PD, Planning, and Production. Lead Merchandising to create and execute supporting category strategies and assortment plans based on data from consumer insights, sales results, site analytics, competition, and trends.
- Collaborate with Planning and Production to achieve gross margin targets and optimize the inventory productivity of all investments through pre-season planning, active management of sales and receipt forecasts (OTB), and daily/weekly in-season analysis and actions to drive sales.
- Oversee monthly buys for all styles, presenting clear investment strategies based on relevant KPIs and consumer insights. Measure and drive performance of strategies in season.
- Partner with Creative, Marketing, Acquisition/Media, and Site Merchandising to ensure assortment strategies (Creative Themes, Color Stories, Key Buys) are effectively communicated across consumer touchpoints such as website, social media, and CRM. Understand and optimize for how product strategies drive engagement and sales across touchpoints.
- Regularly shop and assess the website and partner with site merchandising to modify and enhance the site experience in order to increase conversion.
- Create and present comprehensive monthly and seasonal hindsight reviews to identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that feed into future actions and strategies.
REQUIREMENTS / EXPECTATIONS:
- Strategic thinking: able to balance data insights with intuition to anticipate future trends for the consumers and pose scenarios that will create competitive advantage and long-term growth.
- Financial acumen and analytical rigor: able to identify areas of opportunity from a variety of KPIs, data points, and signals that indicate consumer preferences.
- Collaboration: gains trust of others and seeks to work across functions to make decisions and achieve objectives; understands and fosters the high interdependency of all Product Creation functions and shares responsibility in team successes and failures. Helps others succeed.
- Solutions and results-oriented: takes initiative to drive ideas from concept to completion and to roll up your sleeves and do what it takes to deliver successful outcomes.
- Proactive planning: able to break down objectives into achievable actions and prioritize the highest impact work through relevant milestones and feasible schedules.
- Adaptability and Continuous Improvement: able to initiate change and lead change for others; a drive to continually improve our products and offering as well as our tools and processes.
- A passion for fashion and consumer behaviors; keeps up to date on product reviews and social media sentiment, along with macro and micro trends in fashion and the competition.
- Excellent communication skills – oral, written, and presentation. Proficient in PowerPoint and capable/willing to learn teams-based communication tools .
- Willing and able to travel both domestically and internationally. Occasional travel is required
Desired Experience:
- 15+ years of experience, with at least 3 years in a Sr Merchandising role.
- Strong people leader and team builder who fosters team morale
- Experienced at developing talent with diverse perspectives and skill sets while establishing shared mindsets around high standards of excellence as well as in professional behaviors and attitudes.
- Previous experience in e-commerce.
- Previous experience in the Fast Fashion Industry
- Proven track record of operating effectively and enabling teams to succeed in a fast-paced environment with numerous changes, deadlines, and priorities; experienced at maintaining confidence and a positive attitude under pressure.