Senior Director, Merchandising

Senior Director of Merchandising  

About the role:   

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Merchandising, the Senior Director of Merchandising is responsible for driving assortment, planning, pricing, and promotional strategies that support sales, gross margin, and inventory targets across all categories and channels. Passionate about both product and data-driven decision making, this leader will lead and manage critical Merchandising and Planning functions, ensuring the right people, processes and tools are in place to drive topline growth and profitability while supporting company/brand goals. 

Balancing creative vision with analytical thinking, this leader will be a market expert who can develop innovative merchandising strategies that deliver against financial targets. They will also lead pricing optimization initiatives, manage merchandise reporting and analysis, be responsible for inventory management and health, and drive the forecasting process across the business. 

The ideal candidate is an accomplished merchandising professional with an elevated aesthetic and experience with premium brands/categories, who has operated in a digital, high-growth environment. They are an experienced people manager who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution and are adept at implementing new tools and processes to help scale a fast-growing and innovative brand. They are a collaborative leader who can effectively partner across the organization to drive initiatives forward, including with Marketing, Operations, Retail, Product Development, and eCommerce teams, while fostering an innovative and results-oriented culture. 

What you’ll do:  

• Lead Brilliant Earth’s Merchandising and Planning functions, ensuring the right people, processes, and tools are in place to support business growth, profitability, and data driven decision making. 

• Manage all aspects of the Merchandising function including product assortment, product launch strategy, pricing and promotional strategy/execution, reporting and analysis, etc.  

• Partner with Product Development/Design team to ensure Brilliant Earth offers a compelling assortment of products that meets market trends and customer needs while optimizing assortment opportunities 

• Oversee the development, management, and execution of financial plans across categories and channels. Drive the financial success of each category by developing assortment plans and investment strategies that meet sales, gross margin and inventory productivity goals. 

• Oversee the reporting and analysis of financial performance by category, sub-category, SKU attribute, and channel to identify opportunities and risks, and lead team to implement actions to address. 

• Oversee price optimization initiatives, including recurring price reviews, price testing and markdowns. Support in implementing new tools and models to make data-driven decisions around pricing.   

• Partner with Marketing and Digital teams to maximize product performance by supporting successful new launches and ensuring that products are represented in optimal manner on website and other marketing channels in order to optimize sell-through.     

• Hire, train and mentor direct reports to develop appropriate skills and support their career aspirations.   

• Create and foster a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented team culture. 

You’re a great fit if you have: 

• Bachelor’s degree; MBA is a plus 

• 10+ years of experience in a merchandising, buying, or category management capacity working for an innovative retailer or ecommerce company 

• Keen eye for product and trend; experience with premium brands and/or jewelry a plus 

• Working knowledge of demand forecasting, retail merchandise planning, inventory management best practices and inventory systems 

• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic, high-growth environment requiring new process creation, process improvement, task prioritization, and strategic project management to lead team in implementing key initiatives while supporting business scaling 

• Analytical and data-driven with proven track record of driving business results and meeting KPIs 

• Strategic mindset and structured problem-solver 

• Attracts and develops talent, motivates team members, and manages performance effectively 

• Honed ability to develop effective working relationships with cross functional partners and influence and drive results cross functionally in a way that enriches the company's culture and overall team performance 

• Strong command of digital/e-commerce merchandising metrics and KPIs 

• Commitment to respect and inclusion in the workplace 

• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation and problem-solving skills 

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel