Assistant Director of Merchandise

Sports Careers; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sports Careers seeks an Assistant Director of Merchandise to lead planning, development, and execution for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, and KeyBank Center live events. You will oversee reporting, e-commerce, inventory, and product placement to drive revenue and strengthen brand identity.

You will manage cosigned merchandise for events, drive data-driven decisions, and supervise a merchandising team to ensure brand guidelines and licensing requirements are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or retail management or related field.
• 5+ years of retail merchandise experience, ideally in sports, entertainment or licensed products.
• Strong product development, buying and vendor negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in retail metrics, financial reporting, reducing shrinking and overseeing e-commerce fulfillment.
• Proficiency in Shopify and/or Retail POS systems and Microsoft Office suite.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute seasonal merchandise plans aligned with brand identity and sales targets.
• Plan, implement, and oversee high-volume retail operations during home games and events.
• Oversee the e-commerce platform ensuring accurate product listings and inventory.
• Analyze merchandising metrics to optimize assortment and margins.
• Manage budgets, forecast sales targets, and monitor profit margins.

Skills

Retail leadership

Merchandise planning

Vendor negotiation

E-commerce management

Data analysis

Team management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/retail

Tools

Shopify

Retail POS systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Summary

The Assistant Director of Merchandise will work closely with the Director of Merchandise to ensure the planning, development and execution of all retail and merchandise operations for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits and live events hosted at KeyBank Center. This role will oversee all merchandise reporting, e-commerce, inventory schedules and product placement to drive revenue and strengthen each brand’s identity.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and execute seasonal merchandise plans aligned with brand identity, fan preferences, and sales and gross-profit targets.


• Plan, implement, and oversee high-volume retail operations during home games, including designing store and kiosk layout and setup display, managing inventory turnover, signage and reconciliation and reports.


• Oversee the e-commerce platform to ensure accurate product listings, inventory levels, photos and descriptions.


• Analyze retail performance metrics including conversion rates, average order value, units per transaction, sell-through rate, inventory turnover with age profile, revenue per transaction and ales by channel to identify trends, optimize product assortment and support data-driven decisions.


• Manage retail budgets, track profitability, and forecast sales targets including identifying and monitoring profit margin by product category, sales channel, and event; assess cost of goods, pricing, discounts, supplier costs and inventory movement to recommend pricing strategies and margin improvement opportunities.


• Ensure all products meet brand guidelines, quality standards and licensing requirements.


• Research market trends, use fan feedback and competitor offerings to identify new retail product opportunities for the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits to build range merchandise assortment while keeping offerings relevant and improving gross profit margin.


• Oversee cosigned merchandise sales for all concerts, comedians and other entertainment events at KeyBank Center.


• Complete pre and post event reviews for all cosigned merchandise events to make sure forecasted performance matches actuals. Pivot strategy for future events to match performance and tour/industry trends.


• Analyze merchandise sales figures, pricing, buying patterns, and sports market trends to anticipate product needs.


• Coordinate monthly inventory counts and reconciliation to maintain accurate, accessible and up-to-date physical merchandise inventory records.


• Preparation and documentation of timely, accurate merchandise sales statements and reports for management review, monthly sales reports and all other seasonal sales and promotions.


• Oversee product receiving, storage, and distribution to minimize inventory shrinkage and best use of space based on buying and storage cycles.


• Collaborate with Director of Merchandise to offer products that support the marketing calendar and partnership initiatives.


• Manage and oversee merchandise team, providing training, coaching and development opportunities.


• Coordinate all aspects and ordering of staff uniforms, ensuring that the merchandise team meets and standards for presentation at all times.


• Ensure high standard of customer service in person and online.


• Maintains high level of confidentiality and professionalism.


• Other duties as assigned or required.

Minimum Qualifications For The Position

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or retail management or related field, preferred.


• 5+ years of retail merchandise experience, ideally in sports, entertainment or licensed products.


• Strong product development, buying and vendor negotiation skills.


• Proficiency in retail metrics, financial reporting, reducing shrinking and overseeing e-commerce fulfillment.


• Proficiency in Shopify and/or Retail Could retail POS / inventory system and Microsoft Office suite


• Excellent analytical skills and ability to interpret sales and trend data.


• Ability to work non-traditional hours including nights, weekends, and holidays

Critical Competencies

• Adaptability – ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of provocation.


• Attention to Communication – ensuring all information is passed on to others who should be kept informed.


• Customer Orientation – demonstrated concerns for satisfying one’s external and internal customers.


• Flexibili