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Senior Merchandiser
SENIOR MERCHANDISER
Who we are
For nearly three decades, 686 Apparel has been developing, testing and engineering technical fabrications and laminations in apparel. Everything we do is based around innovation, people, and purpose with the goal to build the best performance products with our active-minded community. We create products. We create a community. We create experiences.
Our key building blocks:
- Independence
- Innovation
- Inclusion
- Community
- Sustainability
We’re looking for an experienced and motivated Senior Merchandiser to oversee line plan creation and execution in alignment with business goals and consumer insights.
What you’ll do
The Senior Merchandiser position is pivotal as it sits at the intersection of Design, Commercial channels, Development, and Production.
In this role, you’ll create the line plan and blueprint for the season to ensure the assortment drives the brand forward while also achieving financial and margin objectives. You will work in right-sizing the line based on style and SKU productivity, style and SKU reduction targets as well as our Good, Better, and Best omnichannel strategy. The Senior Merchandiser plays a key role in being an advocate for the consumer balancing the brand and business requirements, and works collaboratively with Brand Marketing, E-commerce manager, and VP of Wholesale to ensure all business needs are met. Additionally, you will work with Design and Production to ensure innovation and creative vision come to life to keep product leadership at the forefront of what we do.
How you’ll do it
- In partnership with Planning and Commercial operations, develop a line plan reflecting hindsight of historical trends with foresight on future trends.
- Assess, refine and define our processes to ensure 686 is set up to scale in an operationally excellent way.
- Develop a sound Good, Better, and Best strategy to protect innovation at the top and diffuse it down to more commercially relevant items at the “good” level.
- In partnership with Development and Sourcing, plan out the development calendar to ensure every trigger date is adhered to.
- In partnership with Design and PD, develop a line that meets the IMU requirements to continue to deliver high profitability for 686.
- Communicate licensor any relevant strategy and/or data changes with licensor to ensure consistency is achieved.
- Communicate cross-functionally with every business partner (Wholesale, Ecommerce, Marketing, Management…) to ensure any shift in delivery, strategy, product, etc… is clearly and promptly understood by every key member so adjustments can be made.
- Drive competitive mapping to ensure 686 stays ahead from a product, pricing and value equation POV + identify white space where 686 can potentially win.
- Assess, Refine and eventually accelerate the sustainability strategy for the company and ensure it is focused and tackling the right areas of opportunities to move towards our end goal.
What you’ll bring
- 5+ years of Merchandising experience preferably in Soft Goods
- Strong presentation and public speaking skills
- Strong operational skillset and leadership
- Strong analytical skills: proficiency in Excel
- A strong point of view and sense of style
- Strong sense of aesthetic and curation
- Financial and business acumen
- Strategic mindset
- Self-starter
- Ability to simplify the complex
- Cross-functional team leader track record
- Ability to work in a fast-changing environment that can be nebulous
- Track record of leading and fostering change in an organization
- Track record of coaching, mentoring, and developing people to unlock their full potential
