Merchant

Merchant

The Merchant helps to develop and drive a category of business's strategies and seasonal assortment plans based upon a detailed knowledge of the brand, intimate understanding of the customer, and studied appreciation of the competition and overall market place. They critically evaluate the assortment and reacts to in-season performance/trends and translates to future seasons. The Merchant demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the connection between financial strategies and related merchandise objectives. The position collaborates directly with various cross functional teams including but not limited to design, merchandise planning, demand & deployment, production, stores operations, and visual presentation to ensure execution of the accurate brand vision and category goals. The Merchant must possess strong leadership skills as they are ultimately responsible for driving cross-functional communication and for motivating the team to be customer-focused, curious, and team oriented in their work. The Merchant supports the leadership team in prioritizing workload and plays a supportive role in training merchandising talent within the company. This role owns at least one category of business.

Your Impact:

Leadership

• Lead and demonstrate strong cross-functional partnerships with clear and accurate communication while demonstrating company values
• Lead and influence solutions-based thinking, conflict resolution and productive dialogue in cross functional and merchandising meetings
• Begin to develop leadership presence and cast positive leadership shadow
• Demonstrate ability to layer strategic thinking and business ownership on top of business execution
• Relationship building by demonstrating corporate culture & values of diversity, equity, inclusivity, open-mindedness, collaboration, and positive intent
• Lead and demonstrate company values of Love the Customer, Passion with Purpose, Better Together, DEI is Everything
• Consistently react with urgency while comprehending overall strategy

Customer

• Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn customer insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy
• Translate and apply customer and competitive patterning insights into actions that will drive the business and assortment forward
• Remain curious about the customer to better understand their current demands and seek to learn more through store travel and taking on the customer lens
• Partner across merchandising categories to connect dots on larger, total brand trends and patterns
• Understand the customer's lifestyle by staying on top of trends, social media, and pop culture as it specifically relates to the customer, in stores or wherever they are
• Drive customer insight strategy via the internal teams and external focus groups

Product

• Responsible for executing the seasonal financial plan into a product assortment while preserving brand position and brand image
• Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn product insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy and influence the evolution of potential new categories to fill customers' needs
• Accountable for key meeting prep with sample availability, style & color ranking, deck preparation, and ad hoc requests and analysis, always staying agile and flexible
• Responsible for ongoing trend analysis and reporting, inclusive of competitive landscape & competitive patterning
• Drive development of a robust testing agenda to identify and unlock future growth opportunities

Financial

• Accountable for sales and margin targets for their category of business
• Develop roadmap and lineplan architecture by season and align with Planning partners in lineplan reviews to present to Senior Leadership
• Ensure price-value relationship is in line with customer expectation
• Understand product trends and historical data at the category level in order to manage in-season opportunities
• Actively participate and influence in costing meetings by floorset

Talent

• Select, train, coach and develop a diverse team to ensure effective performance and growth through consistent on-the-job training
• Manage yourself as well as your team (i.e., handling high pressure situations, proactive problem solving, positive leadership shadow, maintaining healthy relationships across the organization)
• Actively give, seek and take action on feedback to and from all levels to enable growth and development in role
• Minimum of one direct report

Minimum Salary: $105,300.00

Maximum Salary: $149,415.00

VS&Co provides a range of compensation for this role as shown. Your actual salary will be determined by a number of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic region, or other relevant factors.

• Your Experience:

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business Administration or relevant area
• 3-5 years of experience in merchandising or relevant experience
• Strong understanding of vertically integrated retail operations
• Broad-based business acumen with the potential to grow to the Merchant level
• High intelligence with a true entrepreneurial risk mentality, strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
• Acute sense of brand and customer intimacy
• Acute fashion sense with proven talent to envision and interpret fashion trends
• Proficient in conflict management and problem-solving
• Exceptional ability to bridge and enhance cooperative working relationships
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize
• Demonstrated ability in communication, presentation, negotiating and influencing skills
• Ability to lead and inspire with unquestionable integrity and trust
• Systems and computer proficiency (MS Office, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel)

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws. Please see links: California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Philadelphia Fair Chance Law, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance

An equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in hiring or terms and conditions of employment because of an individual's race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected category recognized by state, federal or local laws. We only hire individuals authorized for employment in the United States.

• Benefits

Paid parental leave to bond with your new addition

401(k) savings plan with company match

Merit increases and performance bonuses

On-the-spot recognition and rewards for a job well done

Employee stock purchase program

Merchandise discounts

Medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Commuter benefits

Working and Living in Columbus/Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Known as "The Discovery City," Columbus, Ohio, is a place where new ideas and creativity flourish. This makes Columbus a fitting home for Victoria's Secret & Co. The Columbus/Reynoldsburg area is vibrant, eclectic, and on the move. It boasts an exciting mix of arts, shopping, dining, and entertainment. For those with a passion for the great outdoors, there is an extensive park system where you can hike, bike, explore, and much more. As the state capital of Ohio, Columbus is a hub of local, national, and international activity. It is also renowned for the exceptional quality of its public education, from K-12 to the world-renowned Ohio State University. Above all, the area's rich variety of charming and inviting neighborhoods make this an ideal place to call home.