Staples Promotional Products

Manager, Merchandising Strategy and Operations

Staples Promotional Products

full-time

Posted on:

Origin:  • 🇺🇸 United States • Illinois

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Job Level

Mid-LevelSenior

Tech Stack

ERPOracleTableau

About the role

  • As the Manager, Merchandising Strategy and Operations, you will play a vital role in supporting operational excellence, planning, and cross-functional execution within our Merchandising function. You’ll conduct analysis, develop reporting, create presentations, and support key initiatives that drive alignment and improve merchandise planning processes. You’ll work collaboratively with Merchandising, Finance, Pricing, Marketing, and Digital teams to gather insights and facilitate the execution of merchandising strategies and seasonal initiatives.
  • You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing merchandising strategies that drive sales growth, profitability, and operational efficiency—bridging strategic vision and execution. Leveraging data, insights, and collaboration, you’ll deliver effective merchandising outcomes across both digital and physical channels. This role also partners with supply chain and analytics teams to develop actionable business plans, optimize assortments, and improve processes.
  • Duties: Develop and execute short- and mid-term merchandising strategies that align with business goals, customer needs, and market trends.
  • Analyze sales, margin, inventory, and customer data to provide actionable recommendations on assortment, pricing, and promotional strategies.
  • Collaborate with finance and supply chain to optimize forecasting, inventory allocation, and replenishment strategies.
  • Build and maintain reporting dashboards and performance metrics to track category and assortment performance.
  • Partner with marketing and digital teams to ensure promotional execution and product presentation align with merchandising strategies.
  • Lead operational process improvements to streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.
  • Provide thought leadership on vendor negotiations, seasonal planning, and product lifecycle management.
  • Troubleshoot operational issues escalated by merchandising teams, providing effective and timely solutions.
  • Mentor junior staff and provide technical or analytical guidance to support team development.
  • Contribute to cross-functional projects and occasionally lead project workstreams.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, or equivalent experience
  • Minimum 6+ years of relevant work experience in merchandising, planning, operations, or strategy
  • Experience with ERP, PIM, or assortment planning systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, JDA/Blue Yonder)
  • Background in digital or omnichannel retail environments
  • Knowledge of change management principles and process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma)
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze sales and margin performance and provide actionable recommendations
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and business intelligence/reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, or similar)