What are the responsibilities and job description for the Ralph Lauren Brand Merchandiser, Collection position at BoF Careers?
Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
The Brand Merchandiser plays a pivotal role in shaping and protecting the global product narrative across Collection Apparel, Accessories, and Footwear. Blending sharp commercial instincts with a discerning luxury aesthetic, this role ensures every assortment embodies the brand's DNA, resonates with our target client, and drives healthy financial performance. As a key connector between senior leadership, design, and product teams, the Brand Merchandiser transforms insight into action-crafting a clear, compelling product strategy grounded in market opportunities and creative vision. Role champions the balance of art and commerce, curating a collection that feels both highly elevated and deeply relevant, while guiding the business toward consistent growth
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Shape Seasonal Line Plans: Partner closely with Analytics and Product Planning to develop intentional, data-driven seasonal line plans that guide Design. Integrate regional insights, competitive intelligence, and brand priorities to ensure the product flow feels both strategically balanced and creatively compelling. Drive Cross-Functional Excellence: Take proactive ownership in supporting and connecting merchandising partners across functions. Anticipate needs, remove obstacles, and uphold operational discipline so seasonal milestones and strategic objectives are executed seamlessly. Craft Elevated Merchandising Narratives: Collaborate on the development of inspiring seasonal strategies and assortment presentations that clearly articulate the product vision and reinforce a consistent, luxury-level brand message across all partners. Consumer Focused: Maintain a nuanced understanding of target customer archetypes. Apply consumer insights, market behavior, and competitive signals to influence product adoption, styling direction, and collection depth. Balance Art & Commerce: Partner closely with Design to ensure the creative essence of the collection is realized while meeting revenue, margin, and productivity goals-preserving the brand's elevated positioning. Participate in Design reviews and weekly Production meetings, ensuring product execution aligns with the creative intent, upholds brand DNA, and delivers on commercial expectations. Lead Market Exploration: Continuously shop luxury and aspirational markets to identify emerging trends, shifts in pricing architecture, innovation, and whitespace opportunities. Translate observations into forward-thinking recommendations that strengthen the overall product strategy. Protect the Seasonal Calendar: Maintain complete ownership of milestone adherence, ensuring timely decisions, clear communication, and smooth transitions across all phases of product development. Advance Solutions & Growth: Approach challenges with clarity, critical thinking, and a solutions-first mindset. Elevate team efficiency, influence tools and processes, and support a culture of continuous improvement.
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
The Brand Merchandiser plays a pivotal role in shaping and protecting the global product narrative across Collection Apparel, Accessories, and Footwear. Blending sharp commercial instincts with a discerning luxury aesthetic, this role ensures every assortment embodies the brand's DNA, resonates with our target client, and drives healthy financial performance. As a key connector between senior leadership, design, and product teams, the Brand Merchandiser transforms insight into action-crafting a clear, compelling product strategy grounded in market opportunities and creative vision. Role champions the balance of art and commerce, curating a collection that feels both highly elevated and deeply relevant, while guiding the business toward consistent growth
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Shape Seasonal Line Plans: Partner closely with Analytics and Product Planning to develop intentional, data-driven seasonal line plans that guide Design. Integrate regional insights, competitive intelligence, and brand priorities to ensure the product flow feels both strategically balanced and creatively compelling. Drive Cross-Functional Excellence: Take proactive ownership in supporting and connecting merchandising partners across functions. Anticipate needs, remove obstacles, and uphold operational discipline so seasonal milestones and strategic objectives are executed seamlessly. Craft Elevated Merchandising Narratives: Collaborate on the development of inspiring seasonal strategies and assortment presentations that clearly articulate the product vision and reinforce a consistent, luxury-level brand message across all partners. Consumer Focused: Maintain a nuanced understanding of target customer archetypes. Apply consumer insights, market behavior, and competitive signals to influence product adoption, styling direction, and collection depth. Balance Art & Commerce: Partner closely with Design to ensure the creative essence of the collection is realized while meeting revenue, margin, and productivity goals-preserving the brand's elevated positioning. Participate in Design reviews and weekly Production meetings, ensuring product execution aligns with the creative intent, upholds brand DNA, and delivers on commercial expectations. Lead Market Exploration: Continuously shop luxury and aspirational markets to identify emerging trends, shifts in pricing architecture, innovation, and whitespace opportunities. Translate observations into forward-thinking recommendations that strengthen the overall product strategy. Protect the Seasonal Calendar: Maintain complete ownership of milestone adherence, ensuring timely decisions, clear communication, and smooth transitions across all phases of product development. Advance Solutions & Growth: Approach challenges with clarity, critical thinking, and a solutions-first mindset. Elevate team efficiency, influence tools and processes, and support a culture of continuous improvement.
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
- Proven expertise and experience with women's luxury at comparable brands.
- Refined taste level and strong product intuition.
- Excellent interpersonal skills supporting a team environment
- Strong numerical and analytical skills
- Excellent time management and project coordination skills
- oriented, and committed to delivering work of the highest standard.
- Confident in making informed, timely decisions independently and collaboratively.
- Goal and solution oriented: ability to stay focused on creating winning results
- Highly motivated, adaptable, and comfortable navigating a fast-paced luxury environment. Working knowledge of Retail Math - business terminology, key retail metrics, and calculations