Director, DMM - Home & Away

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Want to help pets live their best lives?

We're proud to be where the pets go and where the pet people go. If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you.

Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what's right for pets and people.

• Pet First – Protect & Empower. All pets should Live their Best Life. We put the needs of pets and pet parents at the center of everything we do.
• Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond. Our Passion for pets brings us together! We celebrate the journey of pet parenthood through district experiences, products, and services.
• Let's Go! Own & Commit. We are stronger as One Petco team. We bring our unique superpowers and champion authenticity in everyone to drive success.

About Petco:

We're proud to be "where the pets go" to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we're here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way. We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love. Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

The Director, Division Merchandising Manager (DMM) is responsible for leading the strategy, assortment vision, and financial performance of the Home & Lifestyle portfolio while identifying and incubating new categories that drive traffic, discovery, and brand love. This role blends strong merchant instincts with financial acumen and cultural trend awareness to deliver compelling, innovative assortments that resonate with today's customer.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager (SVP/GMM), the Director, DMM plays a critical role in shaping the product strategy and driving a steady flow of newness across categories. The role works closely with cross-functional partners including Product Innovation, Product Design, Sourcing, Planning, Marketing, and Supply Chain to bring differentiated products to market across both owned brands and national brands.

Key Responsibilities

• Merchandising Strategy & Category Leadership
• Define the vision and multi-year strategy for the division, rooted in customer insights, cultural signals, trend intelligence, and competitive benchmarking. Integrate trends in interior design, pet wellness, home living, scent, lifestyle behaviors, and household functionality.
• Build compelling assortments that prioritize newness, innovation, and differentiation while delivering financial growth, margin expansion, and inventory productivity.
• Own category architecture, channel strategy, pricing, value ladder, and product storytelling across stores and digital.
• Financial & Business Management
• Own the financial performance of assigned categories including sales, margin, inventory productivity, and profitability.
• Manage merchandise planning inputs including assortment productivity, pricing architecture, promotional cadence, and inventory flow.
• Partner with Planning and Finance teams to monitor performance and adjust strategies to achieve financial targets.
• Assortment Curation & Innovation Pipeline
• Champion newness and differentiation: elevated feeding solutions, travel innovations, lifestyle décor, limited-edition capsules and collaborations.
• Identify whitespace to expand into new pet lifestyle categories that resonate with Millennial and Gen Z pet households.
• Lead line reviews, assortment edits, and go-to-market briefs with clear decision-making anchored in customer value and financial impact.
• Cross-Functional Leadership Across Owned Brands
• Collaborate closely with Product Development, Product Design, Sourcing, Planning, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to bring assortments to market with excellence and speed.
• Ensure alignment across teams through clear product briefs, milestone reviews, and launch planning.
• Partner with Marketing and Visual Merchandising to deliver compelling product storytelling across channels.
• Team Leadership & Talent Development
• Lead and develop a high-performing team of Senior Buyers, Buyers, Associate Buyers, and Assistant Buyers.
• Build a culture of trend obsession, creativity, smart risk-taking, financial rigor, and speed.
• Develop talent in vendor strategy, product curation, financial decision-making, and customer-obsessed assortment planning.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of progressive merchandising leadership in trend-driven omnichannel retail.
• Demonstrated success driving newness, exclusivity, and innovation in fast-product-cycle categories.
• Strong P&L acumen with a track record of margin expansion, SKU optimization, and inventory productivity.
• Experience partnering with Owned Brands and leading multi-category seasonal strategies.
• Expertise in developing new categories, collaborations, influencer programs, and trend capsules.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence across Product Development, Design, Sourcing, Marketing, and Supply Chain.
• Strong vendor management and negotiation experience across domestic and global partners.
• Exceptional leadership, talent development, and communication skills.
• Passion for culture, curiosity, consumer behavior, design, and storytelling with a bias for speed and innovation.

What the Director, DMM owns:

• Customer-first home & lifestyle strategy and stories
• Financial ownership of the business (sales, margin, inventory)
• Line architecture & assortment strategy
• Vendor portfolio strategy (brand and owned brand)
• Pricing, promotional strategy, and value ladder
• Channel strategy (store + digital + cross-category)
• Go-to-market priorities & business readiness
• Business decisions on which products go forward