S&S Activewear

Director of Merchandising

S&S Activewear

full-time

Posted on:

Origin:  • 🇺🇸 United States • Illinois

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Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Define and execute a multi-year merchandising strategy across non-apparel categories aligned with company vision, customer needs, and financial goals
  • Own category-level financial targets including revenue, margin, and inventory productivity
  • Lead line architecture planning across multiple categories, ensuring a balanced and differentiated assortment by brand, price point, use case, and trend
  • Identify white space opportunities and drive innovation through new product development and strategic brand partnerships
  • Partner with Purchasing/Planning, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, and Operations to deliver cohesive go-to-market strategies and successful product launches
  • Influence cross-functional roadmaps to ensure alignment on category priorities, customer segmentation, and seasonal initiatives
  • Collaborate with digital and technology teams to enhance product discoverability and merchandising effectiveness across channels
  • Build and manage strategic vendor relationships to ensure alignment on product development, exclusivity, and execution
  • Create roadmaps to drive mutual growth and profitability with vendors and brands
  • Leverage customer data, feedback, and trends to inform assortment decisions and category strategies
  • Monitor competitive landscape and consumer behavior to identify emerging trends and market shifts
  • Engage directly with key customers to understand their business needs and translate insights into actionable merchandising plans
  • Lead and develop a high-performing merchandising team, mentoring category managers and merchants and fostering accountability and continuous improvement

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred)
  • 10+ years of experience in merchandising, category management, or product strategy
  • At least 5 years in a leadership role
  • Proven success managing multi-category portfolios in a high-growth, multi-supplier environment
  • Strong financial acumen and experience owning P&L-level accountability
  • Exceptional leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
  • Deep understanding of customer segmentation, product lifecycle management, and go-to-market execution
  • Analytical mindset with a passion for data-driven decision-making and trend forecasting
  • Ability to travel up to 30% of the time
  • Authorized to work in the U.S. (S&S participates in E-Verify)