Big Rock Sports, the leading distributor of hunting and fishing equipment has an immediate need for a Merchandise Manager to work at one of the following locations: Graham, NC, Morehead City, NC, Sauk Rapids, MN or Charlotte, NC.

The Merchandise Manager is responsible for the selection and management of product assortments within their respective area of responsibility. This role will develop, negotiate, communicate, and execute strategic merchandise plans that support the company’s overall strategy and business objectives. The Merchandise Manager fosters vendor relationships to create a culture of collaboration, productivity, and accountability.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities :

• Communicate vendor and product plans to internal stakeholders including demand planning, sales, marketing, finance, and operations. Collaborate with fellow merchant team members on category execution plans.
• Accountable for developing and executing merchandise plans that meet or exceed financial goals including sales, gross margin, and inventory productivity.
• Negotiate vendor programs: payment terms, pricing, freight programs, show discounts, co-op ad funding, rebate programs, returns/markdowns, and defective allowance programs.
• Analyze category/vendor/product performance to recognize and react to business trends, identify risks and opportunities, and calculate future strategies.
• Seek out new suppliers and products within assigned categories.
• Foster strong, effective, and collaborative relationships with vendors partners (senior leadership and core teams) to ensure product flow, drive innovation, and capture market opportunities.
• Understand the supply chain process and monitor vendor fill rate performance. Make recommendations and act as necessary to meet customer demand.
• Communicate with counterpart(s) within demand planning team to ensure appropriate buys on new products, as well as provide direction on large demand variances with current assortments/items due to marketplace factors.
• Responsible for establishing dealer show pricing and specials that align with assortment, vendor, and/or market share goals.
• Communicate product and vendor opportunities to sales teams working with independent retailers, national accounts, chains, and .coms; Collaborate with sales teams and vendor partners to execute on these opportunities.
• Attend Big Rocks customer shows, industry trade shows, and vendor factory visits.
• Analyze competitors to compare strategies, pricing, products, etc. 
• Manage end-of-life product cycles to ensure obsolete inventory is minimized.
• Work closely with sales teams to solve customer problems that yield sales opportunities.
• Collaborate with marketing and vendor teams to outline advertising plans for assigned categories that maximize marketing efforts via web, print, and electronic media.
• Aggressively seek special buys and/or closeout opportunities to deliver exciting promotional opportunities for customers, to solidify inventory position, and/or to enhance margins.
• Understand and define capabilities needed to deliver upon company and department goals.
• Travel to in-field store visits to review opportunities with customers.
• Other duties as assigned.

 Qualifications:

• Committed problem-solving and decision-maker with energy to dig into problems, understand obstacles, and develop creative solutions.
• Ability to think strategically and act tactically with nimble execution.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office programs, with extensive experience in Excel.
• Experience in P&L responsibility.
• Omni-channel experience and knowledge of various retail channels.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills including the ability to present complex material in an organized and concise manner.
• Ability to influence and negotiate at a variety of levels. 
• Ability to manage and complete multiple projects at a time.
• Excellent time management skills and a process for follow-up to meet frequent deadlines.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with other departments and persons at all levels.
• Ability to travel (10-15%).
• Experience within outdoor sporting goods, especially Fishing, Hunting, Camping, and Marine segments a plus.

 Education/Experience:

• 5 years of related experience in a merchandising, analyst, or product planner role. This should include prior experience in the retail, sporting goods, or distribution industry.
• Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year college or university preferred; advanced degree a plus.