Senior Merchant

Senior Merchant

The Senior Merchant is a senior level consumer goods specialist within a retail or wholesale business environment. This role owns the full commercial and product lifecycle of their own-brand category portfolio — from identifying market opportunities, briefing new products, landing it on clip strip, developing new inline programs, to knowing when to exit it. This role is ~60% own brand and ~40% vendor-sourced, requiring someone who thinks like a product developer and acts like a merchant. The candidate must have 3 or more years’ experience in the Toy category. Strong product instincts, trend awareness, packaging sensibility, financial acumen and analytical discipline are equally essential. This position is responsible for optimizing the overall product mix, increasing sales and gross profit margin. In addition to managing account portfolios, providing assortment plans, sales analysis and supporting Jacent’s retail partners.

Significant cross-functional partnership is required as this role works hands-on with cross-functional teams in sales, store operations, space and assortment, distribution and inventory management. This position is responsible for developing strategies and solutions to exceed company targets for sales and gross profit margin. Reports to the Director of Merchandise Buying.

Duties & Responsibilities

Trend Monitoring & Market Intelligence

• Continuously monitor category trends across retail, social, and competitive channels; translate signals into specific product opportunities with a clear commercial rationale
• Bring the market point of view into every NPD conversation — not just what's trending, but what's winnable for Jacent's brand and price point
• Attend relevant industry trade shows and conferences to evaluate industry trends, identify and source new items
• New Product Development Partnership & Vendor Management
• Partner closely with Product Development & Sourcing team on new item creation; contribute category and consumer insight to the product brief
• Review samples for market fit, packaging clarity, and retail readiness; provide commercial feedback on packaging design — ensuring items are shelf-legible, brand-consistent, and priced to perform
• Create briefs for the packaging strategy for brand and item clarity on all new items; partner with Product to finalize
• Determine when to complement the own-brand line with other vendors based on trends and speed to market; Negotiate to hit margin targets and productivity goals; Maintain vendor scorecards to manage the relationship

Clip Strip Assortment

• Own the clip strip assortment for all categories in the portfolio — what's on the clip, at what price, for which retail accounts
• Analyze and maintain category assortments including new item introductions, item replacements, item discontinuations, and pricing
• Align changes to the Go To Market process
• Present assortment performance and recommendations to VP Merchandising in regular business reviews

Developing New Inline Programs

• Identify which own-brand categories and items have inline potential; build the commercial case for new inline programs
• Partner with project management the own-brand inline execution process — bring the product and assortment rationale; the Buyer handles the operational inline process
• Work with Space & Assortment Planning on ranking, adjacency, and space rationale for own-brand inline programs

Go-to-Market Execution

• Partner with VP Merchandising on the go-to-market process — timing, pricing, sell-in strategy, sales support materials and RSM training information
• Work directly with Sales to introduce new items and build the retail account sell-in story
• Support the VP Merchandising with information to support the exit process for outgoing items — communicate timelines, manage inventory rundown, coordinate with Sales

Assortment & Account Management

• Work collaboratively with the Space Planning team to create, update and evaluate planograms
• Support the management of a portfolio of accounts, representing the product point of view to retailers through collaborative analysis and recommendations
• Collaborate and communicate with Customer Development and Visual Space Planning departments on account specific commodity and item opportunities based on analytical observations

Pricing & Financial Management

• Recommend retail pricing for the category portfolio; maintain a logical pricing architecture across own-brand tiers
• Drive margin growth in the business through cost negotiations and mix

What We Are Looking For

• 3 years’ experience in the Toy category
• Strong product instincts, merchant intuition and genuine curiosity about category trends and a track record of turning that curiosity into product decisions that are performed commercially.
• Analytically sharp — the ability to understand and analyze sales numbers, as well as use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches; advanced Excel, retail math fluency, and comfort building category performance models (sell-through analysis, margin bridges). Financial acumen is essential
• Packaging and presentation sensibility — this role partners directly on packaging strategy and design direction. Candidates should be able to look at packaging and quickly assess brand clarity, item communication, and shelf impact.
• Ability to develop and maintain productive working partnerships, both within the company and with outside suppliers
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and changing environment
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize projects.
• Self-motivated with critical attention to detail and deadline
• Strong sense of urgency and commitment to results
• Works well and thrives in a team environment as well as independently
• Project management and proven leadership skills
• Assortment planning

Experience & Credentials

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 8 years’ experience in consumer products related industries like retail, wholesale buying and/or food market
• Demonstrated experience with own-brand or private label product and direct involvement in product development
• Advanced Excel required; planogram or space planning tools a plus
• Strong computer skills including proficient competence with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• 3-4 years supervisory experience
• Hardlines or general merchandise experience strongly preferred