Director of Merchandising (Charleston)

Director of Merchandising

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Charleston, SC. Hybrid, 3 days in office.

company overview

minnow is a founder-led family lifestyle brand based in Charleston, SC. Founded in 2016 as a children's swim brand, minnow now sells swim, apparel and accessories for kids, women and men. The business runs across three channels: direct to consumer at shopminnow.com, wholesale through specialty boutiques and resort retail, and our retail store in downtown Charleston. Women's is the fastest growing part of the business and brick and mortar expansion is on the horizon.

position overview

The Director of Merchandising owns minnow's assortment and the financial plan behind it. This person decides what we make, how deep we buy it, what it sells for and when it goes to market, across DTC, retail and wholesale. The role owns the open to buy and manages the planner who maintains it.

Success looks like a line that hits its sell-through and margin targets, with less inventory left at the end of the season and fewer units coming back. This is a hands-on role on a small team. The person who builds the plan is also the person who pulls the report.

responsibilities

assortment and line architecture

• Build the seasonal and core line plans across all categories and channels, tying SKU count, silhouette mix and investment back to the financial plan

• Own the merchandising hierarchy and the annual product roadmap

• Rank and assort the line, place every seasonal buy, and set drop cadence against the marketing calendar and customer buying patterns

• Build the retail store assortment and the wholesale line as their own cuts of the line, sized to how those channels actually sell

• Partner with design and product development to keep execution on brand and commercially viable

• Own third party assortment and buying for seasonal moments such as Easter and holiday market

• Bring in product partnerships and collaborations where they earn their place in the line

• Keep a working read on the competitive set and where the open space is

planning and open to buy

• Own the open to buy and category-level financial plans, reforecasting against performance

• Manage the merchandise planning team, set the standard for how plans get built and maintained, and grow that seat

• Set weeks on hand targets by category and manage the buy against them

• Hold reserve for in-season chase and work with production on what can realistically be chased

• Own the markdown and clearance plan: when we take it, how deep and in what order

• Set pricing across channels and protect margin as wholesale scales

product performance and margin

• Own product gross margin by category and the assumptions behind it

• Own the return rate on new introductions, and work with design, product development and customer experience on fit, size curve and how product is represented on site

• Read sell-through weekly and act on it, both risk and opportunity, alongside the channel leads

• Bring analysis to the leadership team that leads with a recommendation, not a data dump

candidate profile

• 7+ years in merchandising, buying or planning, with time at a DTC or vertically integrated brand

• Has built line plans and placed buys against a real financial plan, not executed someone else's

• Has owned an open to buy

• Has managed at least one person, or is ready to

• Apparel required. Kids or swim is a plus. Women's is a bigger one.

• Comfortable in the numbers. Advanced Excel and Google Sheets. Working knowledge of Shopify and an ERP. We run Goodday, NuOrder for wholesale, and are onboarding Flagship.

• Has a point of view on fit and return rate, and can explain how merchandising decisions move both

• Moves fast, admits mistakes and corrects course without being told

• Comfortable prioritizing in a small, founder-led company where priorities shift

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

benefits

• 3 weeks PTO plus two company weeks off in August and December, five weeks total

• Hybrid, 3 days in office and 2 remote

• Medical, dental and vision insurance

• Employee discount and complimentary product

how to apply

Apply on LinkedIn or send your resume and a short note to View email address on apply.placed-app.com. No cover letter required, but tell us why minnow.