VP- Merchandising

JOB SUMMARY

The Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) provides direction and vision for their division to develop and execute merchandising strategies that coordinate the assortments and visual presentations of product in order to meet or exceed sales, margin and turn targets. A DMM provides dynamic leadership to their Buying/Planning/Sourcing teams to guide the development of merchandise strategies and assortment plans that positively impact business initiatives and maintain the integrity of financial goals. DMMs work in partnership with their Director of Planning & Director of Sourcing to maximize overall financial performance and develop a collaborative team culture within the merchandising pyramid.  A DMM should have a proven track record of managing successful merchandising retail businesses and be able to establish and execute control-related standards and procedures.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Manages multiple Buyers in the development of specific categories and product lines to deliver merchandise that is anchored in At Home’s value equation while also delivering inspiration to the customer. 
• Facilitates a collaborative team environment within Buying, Planning, and Sourcing partners. 
• Ensures all calendar milestones and due dates are met by the buying team including execution of presentation standards and completion for product reviews. 
• Builds and maintains a high-quality merchandising team by developing partnerships, leading, coaching and providing constructive feedback.
• Evaluates and authorizes the buyer’s product selections and participates in market appointments as necessary. 
• Champions strong product partner relationships and communication to ensure partnerships that deliver strong product and financial results.
• Monitors the business performance and gives critical feedback to guide Buying/Planning team strategies (Best / Worst Sellers, Hind-sighting, etc.)
• Manages merchandise and marketing strategies to maximize sales and margin short- term & long-term. Ensure Go to Market Storytelling is brought to life with assortment and channel messaging. 
• Reviews and approves all merchandise selections, assortment plans and key item development. 
• Oversees style outs & line reviews ensuring the season’s line is represented for executive final review.
• Partners with Director of Planning to establish sales, margin and turn targets by class that reconcile to top-down targets. 
• Review/approve Assortment plans to ensure alignment with financial targets and appropriate flow of goods. 
• Supports the Director of Planning with the development and review of the open-to buy forecast and ensures that Open to Buy is spent appropriately and inventory targets are met. 
• Evaluates and approves the development and execution of pricing and clearance strategies 
• Coordinates and develops in-store presentation of feature spaces including all vignettes, first look, feature & main street tables, in support of EDLP . 
• Interfaces with Store Operations, Marketing & Digital departments to ensure in-store and on-line presentation accurately represents the products, seasons and trends
• Leads initiatives to develop and maintain best practices to constantly improve efficacy and efficiency of the merchandising organization

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred
• 15 years of progressive merchant experience
• Effectively manages a large scope of responsibility to achieve financial targets based on a sound knowledge of merchandising concepts
• Strong business and financial analysis skills; thinks conceptually and strategically
• Proven ability to create and execute sound business strategies
• Strong project management and organization skills 
• Ability to multi-task and function in fast-paced working environment
• Prioritizes and manages workload and processes to meet company objectives
• Strong retail math acumen, including elements of markup, margin planning, open to buy, inventory productivity measures 
• Strong communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills
• Builds and maintains productive cross-functional relationships and vendor partnerships
• Willingness and availability to travel, including overseas
• Takes calculated risks to achieve results
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong decision-making ability
• Understanding of our stores and labor model and enables self-help shopping environment for our customers
• Demonstrates extensive knowledge of the industry
• Provides broad market perspective on trends and business opportunities that appeal to the At Home customer
• Fosters a strong team environment and works effectively with all levels of management
• Provides direction, counseling and coaching to staff