Senior Merchant, Direct - Converse

Converse; Hilversum; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Converse is seeking a consumer-obsessed merchant to lead the Western Europe Direct assortment strategy across physical stores and digital platforms. You will leverage sell-through, margin and consumer insights to optimize product stories and profitability in a fast-paced omni-channel environment.

This role collaborates with Merchandising, Planning, Allocation, Marketing, Retail and Digital teams, traveling up to 15% for seasonal milestones, marketplace visits and reviews.

Qualifications

• Experiential merchandising, buying, planning, or e-commerce background.
• Omni-channel experience with strong analytical skills.
• Ability to influence across functions and manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Execute the WE Direct merchandising strategy for seasonal assortments and in-season management across stores and digital channels.
• Build and manage Western Europe Direct assortments balancing brand priorities, demand, and inventory health.
• Oversee seasonal buy execution with planning and allocation, including quantities and forecasts.
• Analyze weekly performance (revenue, margin, traffic, conversions, AOV, sell-through, weeks of supply) and turn insights into action.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Retail and Digital partners on product stories and launch plans.

Skills

Merchandising

Buying

Planning

Retail

E-commerce

Omni-channel

Analytics

Cross-functional

Travel

Communication

Job description

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

This role will sit within Converse Global Marketplace Merchandising and partner closely with Merchandising, Planning, Allocation, Marketing, Retail and Digital teams to deliver consumer-right assortments across stores and digital platforms. This role reports into the Merchandising Manager, WE and is an individual contributor role.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a consumer-obsessed merchant with strong retail acumen, omni-channel experience and the ability to build and execute our product strategy into profitable assortments for Western Europe Direct. This person is both analytical and product-led, comfortable using sell-through, traffic, conversion, AOV, margin, inventory and consumer insights to make clear recommendations. They bring strong cross-functional influence, collaboration and communication skills, with the confidence to manage competing priorities across seasonal planning and in-season trading. The ideal candidate understands how to build assortments that serve the consumer, elevate the brand and deliver business results across physical retail and digital channels.

• Proven experience in merchandising, buying, planning, retail or e-commerce experience, preferably within footwear or apparel.
• Proven experience building assortments, executing seasonal buys and managing in-season trading, using performance data to inform future product and assortment strategies.
• Strong analytical skills and retail math fluency, including sales, margin, sell-through, inventory productivity and forecast inputs.
• Ability to influence across functions, present recommendations clearly and operate with agility in a fast-paced marketplace environment.
• A collaborative, innovative thinker who proactively connects across teams, challenges existing ways of working, and turns new ideas into action.
• Travel: Ability to travel up to 15%, including seasonal milestone meetings, marketplace visits and cross-functional business reviews as needed.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

You will execute the WE Direct merchandising strategy from seasonal assortment creation and buy execution, as well as in-season management, helping ensure the right product shows up in the right channel, at the right time, with a clear consumer point of view.

• Build and manage seasonal Direct assortments for Western Europe across stores and digital, balancing brand priorities, consumer demand, commercial opportunities and inventory health.
• Own the execution of seasonal buys in close partnership with Planning and Allocation, including buy quantities, demand forecasts, depth, segmentation and replenishment recommendations.
• Own product cuts throughout the seasonal buy process, making clear, data-informed decisions that protect assortment intent, inventory health and financial targets.
• Analyze weekly business performance across key metrics such as revenue, margin, traffic, conversion, AOV, sell-through, weeks of supply and inventory productivity to identify risks and opportunities. Turn insights into action.
• Use consumer, marketplace, trend and competitive insights to shape seasonal product priorities, pricing recommendations and future assortment decisions.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Retail, Digital partners to connect product stories, launch plans and commercial moments across Direct touchpoints.
• Prepare clear recaps, hindsight analysis and forward-looking recommendations for seasonal reviews, leadership meetings and cross-functional business conversations.

Please note, no relocation offered for this role.