The Vice President, Merchants is responsible for setting overall strategic vision and merchandise assortment strategy. This leader directly influences the merchandising team to drive department and class specific growth and increased profitability in support of brand objectives. Accountable for achieving financial targets and profit for brand. Leads in season management and collaborates on financial plans to achieve merchandising objectives and company goals.
Main Responsibilities
Lead merchandising efforts for area of responsibility, setting the merchandising leadership vision across owned business segments including global product roadmap and seasonal strategy that meet brand financial targets.
Accountable for seasonal hindsight by bringing strong perspective on the assessment of key KPI's, customer insights and competitive market to the design and product development team. Partner with the merchandising leadership on all product and strategic initiatives.
Oversee and lead seasonal line roadmap and assortments selection, costing and pricing architecture, style ranking and buys, ranging and sku optimization.
Lead and support direct reports to ensure that financial objectives align with product opportunities. Guide & collaborate with cross-functional partners (Design, Product Development, Marketing, ISP), utilizing historical data and current trends, to capitalize on new opportunities and right size underperforming categories. Understand and identify risks from direct reports and communicate to key business partners.
Partner with the merchandise planning team in the development, execution and communication of strategic merchandise financial plans that support the company's financial, product, and marketing objectives; responsible for driving top line financial plans for areas of responsibility, strategically managing the business to maximize sales and margin, and optimizing inventory. Develops and contributes to the development of brand initiatives and ensures that all planning activities support annual global goals.
Work with & support merchandising leadership on how owned area plays into the bigger picture cross channel.
Oversee teams to track product deliveries on regular basis. Identify issues and elevate if potential risk to sales.
Own and oversee in season product management. Manage pricing architecture which includes promotional and mark down strategies. Approve pre-season category promotional plans and monitor in season performance to provide recommendations for price changes to manage inventory goals and markdowns.
Proactively drive and improve processes, calendars & tools that can enhance and drive a more effective way of working
Accountable for setting a high-performance working culture; collaborative, high energy and solution oriented
Drive strong culture of learning & development, leading, supporting, and driving the team via tangible performance, and behaviorally
Formulate partnership relationship with direct leadership; strive to support overall cross department goals outside of owned remitt
Education and/or Certifications
Bachelor's Degree
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA & SKILLS
12+ years' experience in global product merchandising within a vertical retailer with proven success managing and achieving financial goals.
Excellent analytical skills and financial acumen. Understands and can navigate complex business issues and demonstrates ability to drive good decision making across the organization; motivated by challenges and establishing goals that achieve business growth.
Proven leadership managing teams by empowering direct reports with ownership over their areas of business to meet target financial metrics.
Excellent communications skills with ability to influence and build strong strategic working relationships with partners.
Proficient in Microsoft Office.
Competencies
DRIVE FOR RESULTS: Takes ownership and responsibility to achieve business results. Establish a vision for success and develops priorities for self & team. Shares relevant information to keep the team informed, and ensure leaders understand the "big picture."
LEARNING ORIENTED: Actively develops self-and/or others using internal/external methods for growth. Mentors' others and encourages curiosity from the team. Champion tools & resources that will support learning.
ENERGIZE OTHERS: Proactively motivates and inspires others and positively challenges others to be their best. Drive engagement and give the leaders the right amount of autonomy to do their work.
CHAMPION OF CHANGE: Embraces new ways of working, has continuous improvement mindset, and inspires others as a catalyst of change.
DEVELOP ORGANIZATION TALENT: Identifies, attracts, and identifies talent and creates organization capability for future business needs.
STRATEGIC AGILITY: Proactively scans external market environment and incorporates into enterprise business strategy. Develops, articulates, and executes strategy to align teams.
Claire's is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we encourage applications from members of all underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities. We will accommodate applicants' needs, upon request, throughout all stages of the recruitment process. Please inform us of the accommodation(s) that you may require.
