Senior Director, Vendor Partnerships & Merchandising (VETTE)

Condé Nast is a global media company producing the highest quality content with a footprint of more than 1 billion consumers in 32 territories through print, digital, video and social platforms. The company’s portfolio includes many of the world’s most respected and influential media properties including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, GQ, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler/Traveller, Allure, AD, Bon Appétit and Wired, among others.Job DescriptionLocation:New York, NYRole SummaryVETTE is seeking a Senior Director of Merchandising & Vendor Partnerships to build and lead brand strategy across Vogue Shopping and VETTE creator storefronts — operating as a curated marketplace model.This role owns the full vendor relationship lifecycle: brand development and recruitment, assortment strategy, commercial negotiations, and ongoing performance management. The goal is a differentiated, editorially-grounded portfolio that converts at scale — one that reflects the authority of Vogue and the cultural relevance of the creators VETTE powers.The right candidate brings deep relationships across global luxury, designer, and contemporary markets, a strong POV on emerging brands, and the commercial fluency to operate across two distinct surfaces: Vogue Shopping and creator-commerce storefronts. This is not a traditional buying role — it requires equal comfort with brand strategy, business development, and the infrastructure of modern multi-vendor commerce.Key ResponsibilitiesPortfolio Architecture & Vendor StrategyDefine and lead brand acquisition strategy across luxury, designer, contemporary, and discovery — with clear vendor selection criteria spanning assortment readiness, pricing, fulfillment capability, margin profile, and fashion authorityBuild and continuously refine a brand matrix that balances emerging and established brands, price tier, category depth, and trend relevance across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle — structured to serve both editorial storytelling and creator commerce use casesDevelop and maintain brand and product toolkits that reduce friction between discovery and storefront activation, making it easy for editors and creators to shop, style, and publishOwn new-brand discovery; maintain first-mover advantage on emerging designers, secure exclusive products, and develop unique brand initiatives that fuel platform differentiationAttend market appointments globally to review assortments, identify whitespace, and build partnerships that strengthen the platform's editorial and commercial positionCultivate high-trust relationships with brand teams to ensure strong launches, consistent product flow, and competitive commercial termsCommercial Development & Vendor PerformanceLead commercial planning each season; develop strategy for the LRP with an active view on evolving business models and partnership structuresNegotiate full-funnel commercial terms in collaboration with Commerce Partnerships and Advertising — covering commission structures, exclusives, co-op marketing, launch windows, and marketing commitmentsOwn vendor performance across revenue, margin, sell-through, and conversion; develop strategies to drive revenue growth across the portfolioBuild the reporting infrastructure that enables editors and creators to self-serve performance insights and make real-time merchandising decisions — reducing dependency on centralized reporting and accelerating optimization cyclesVisual Merchandising & Storefront ExperienceCollaborate with Product and Technology to build the tools and back-end experiences that empower editors and creators to continuously optimize and self-service as best-in-class merchants — this is a platform build, not a traditional merchandising operationCreate and own the visual merchandising playbook across Vogue Shopping and VETTE creator storefronts — governing how products are surfaced to maximize discoverability, conversion, and AOVPartner with creative, editorial, and product teams to ensure cohesive, brand-right execution across all surfacesEstablish ongoing optimization routines: implement tactics to lift funnel metrics (AOV, CVR, CTR, EPC) without compromising editorial integrityCross-Functional & Platform CollaborationPartner with Product and Technology to define the platform capabilities — onboarding flows, brand tooling, storefront infrastructure — that scale the editor and creator commerce modelServe as the commerce voice in seasonal planning, ensuring assortment strategy is integrated across editorial, marketing, and creator programming from the outsetWork with finance and operations on planning inputs including open-to-buy, margin targets, and inventory flow where applicableTeam LeadershipBuild and lead a high-performing team across vendor partnerships, merchandising, and planningDefine what a platform-era merchandising team looks like — with capabilities spanning data, creator operations, and vendor management alongside traditional buying and planning skillsEstablish clear processes, roles, and KPIs to support scalable growth in a startup environmentFoster a test-and-learn culture; serve as a senior voice in overall commerce strategyQualifications12+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, or vendor partnerships within a multi-brand e-commerce retailerDeep network of relationships across emerging, contemporary, and luxury fashion brands (including European markets)Proven experience building and managing brand portfolios and assortment strategies at scaleStrong expertise in both marketplace and inventory-based commerce modelsExperience leading merchandise planning and driving financial performance (revenue, margin, inventory turn)Demonstrated ability to identify and scale emerging brandsStrong commercial acumen with a data-driven approach to decision-makingExperience leading and developing teams in fast-paced, high-growth environmentsComfortable operating in a startup or build-phase businessThe expected base salary range for this position is from $157,000 - $175,000. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education.In addition to salary and a generous employee benefits package, successful candidates may also be eligible to receive discretionary bonus compensation.What happens next?If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply below, and we will review your application as soon as possible. You can update your resume or upload a cover letter at any time by accessing your candidate profile.Condé Nast is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status and other legally protected characteristics. SummaryLocation: 1 World Trade Center, New York, NYType: Full time