Merchandise Manager (Fort Lauderdale)

Fort Lauderdale United FC is a rapidly growing professional sports organization based in South Florida, building a multi-sport platform centered around professional teams, youth development, and community engagement.

Our organization currently includes a women’s professional soccer team competing in the Gainbridge Super League, with a men’s professional soccer team joining USL League One in March. Beyond professional soccer, Fort Lauderdale United operates a growing soccer academy and volleyball academy, along with NFL Flag Football programming, with basketball and lacrosse programs also in development.

As the organization continues to expand, we are looking for a creative, entrepreneurial Merchandise Manager to take ownership of our merchandise and apparel business and help build it into an important part of the Fort Lauderdale United brand.

Position Overview

The Merchandise Manager will lead the strategy, procurement, operations, marketing, and growth of merchandise across Fort Lauderdale United FC and its expanding sports platform.

This person will be responsible for the entire merchandise lifecycle—from identifying products and managing vendors to maintaining inventory, developing sales campaigns, operating our retail locations, managing our Shopify store, and creating new opportunities to get Fort Lauderdale United merchandise into the community.

The ideal candidate combines strong retail and operational skills with creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset. We are looking for someone who does not simply maintain the merchandise operation, but consistently looks for new products, collaborations, partnerships, distribution channels, and storytelling opportunities that can grow the business and strengthen the Fort Lauderdale United brand.

Key Responsibilities

Merchandise Strategy & Procurement

Lead merchandise and apparel strategy across Fort Lauderdale United’s professional teams, academies, and sports programs.

Source, select, and procure merchandise while managing relationships with apparel manufacturers, suppliers, and third-party vendors.

Identify new products, collections, trends, and opportunities that align with the Fort Lauderdale United brand and its audiences.

Manage inventory levels, purchasing, product launches, pricing, and replenishment to ensure merchandise is consistently available across all sales channels.

Monitor merchandise performance and use sales data to inform future purchasing and product decisions.

Retail & Game Day Operations

Oversee and operate Fort Lauderdale United’s merchandise store at the stadium and be present for all applicable home game days.

Manage and maintain the merchandise store located near our training and operational facilities.

Ensure both retail locations are organized, properly stocked, visually appealing, and prepared to maximize sales.

Coordinate merchandise needs for matches, tournaments, community events, academy events, and other Fort Lauderdale United programming.

E-Commerce & Marketing

Own and manage the Fort Lauderdale United Shopify store, including product listings, inventory, launches, promotions, and overall customer experience.

Develop creative campaigns designed to drive merchandise awareness and sales throughout the year.

Work closely with the marketing team to develop content, storytelling, product launches, and promotional strategies around merchandise.

Identify opportunities to connect merchandise campaigns with matches, player stories, community initiatives, holidays, special events, and key moments throughout the season.

Collaborations & Partnerships

Work closely with the Partnerships team to develop merchandise and apparel collaborations with corporate partners, local brands, artists, businesses, and other organizations.

Help create limited-edition collections and unique merchandise that tell the story of Fort Lauderdale United and South Florida.

Identify and coordinate opportunities with third-party retailers, businesses, and other locations to carry and sell Fort Lauderdale United merchandise.

Develop creative concepts that expand the visibility and reach of the brand beyond our own facilities.

Business Growth & Reporting

Take ownership of growing merchandise revenue and identifying new commercial opportunities.

Regularly report merchandise sales, inventory, campaign performance, opportunities, and upcoming initiatives to leadership.

Establish and monitor key merchandise KPIs across retail, e-commerce, product categories, and individual campaigns.

Develop recommendations based on sales trends, customer behavior, inventory movement, and market opportunities.

Maintain budgets, purchasing records, vendor information, and merchandise reporting.

Proactively bring new ideas to leadership rather than waiting for opportunities to be assigned.

What We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate is creative, organized, commercially minded, and comfortable taking ownership of a growing business function.

Candidates should demonstrate:

Experience in merchandise, retail, apparel, e-commerce, brand management, or a related field.

Experience managing Shopify or a comparable e-commerce platform.

Strong inventory management, purchasing, and vendor-management skills.

Ability to develop and execute merchandise campaigns from concept through launch.

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

An understanding of branding, consumer trends, retail presentation, and product storytelling.

Ability to collaborate effectively with marketing, partnerships, operations, and leadership.

Comfort working game days, events, evenings, and weekends as required.

A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and execute on them.

Passion for sports, fashion, retail, culture, and building brands within a growing organization.

The Opportunity

This role is an opportunity to help build the merchandise business of a growing South Florida sports organization at an important stage of its expansion.

With professional men’s and women’s soccer, multiple youth academies and sports programs, physical retail locations, e-commerce, corporate partnerships, and a growing presence throughout the community, the Merchandise Manager will have the opportunity to develop merchandise into both a meaningful revenue stream and a powerful extension of the Fort Lauderdale United brand.

We are looking for someone who can bring creativity and structure to the department, build memorable collaborations, expand where and how our merchandise is sold, and ultimately help more people across South Florida represent Fort Lauderdale United.