Business Development Assistant (Hardlines)

DICK'S Sporting Goods; Coraopolis (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

DICK’S Sporting Goods is seeking a focused professional in vertical merchandising and product development to acquire market intelligence and drive evidence-based strategies across assortments.

You will analyze trends, support POs and sample management, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate insights into action. A Bachelor's degree and 1–3 years of related experience are required, with strong analytical skills and data fluency essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• 1-3 years of related experience in vertical merchandising or product development.

Responsibilities

• Develop market and athlete insights to inform strategies.
• Analyze seasonal selling by attributes to identify opportunities.
• Support Purchase Order maintenance and sample management.
• Present data-driven POV on assortment and product strategies.

Skills

Merchandising

Product development

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Circana/SFIA data

Job description

At DICK’S Sporting Goods, we believe in how positively sports can change lives. On our team, everyone plays a critical role in creating confidence and excitement by personally equipping all athletes to achieve their dreams. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce, reflecting the communities we serve.

Overview

OVERVIEW:

Acquire Market Intelligence

• Develops skill set across trend, athlete and market insights, and the competitive set.
• Seasonal research on demos/spend/market basket analysis.
• Utilize athlete insights to support strategies and test and prove new ideas.
• Obtain athlete’s preferences and POV through focus groups, virtual/in store testing, and product use tests.
• Analyze product reviews and athlete feedback and apply learnings to future development.
• Participates in seasonal Athlete intelligence trips to show up where the athlete is present at scale to learn from them in terms of what activities they are doing, how they are doing them, and the equipment they are using.
• Knowledge of the competitive set through regular omnichannel competitive shopping to glean intimate knowledge of the assortment architecture, pricing and promotion, key items, and category shifts within our key competitive set
• Assessment of the competitive sets strength and weaknesses to assist in identifying opportunities and/or threats.
• Track identified emerging competitors to aid in assessing their strengths and threats.
• Use and test competitive product to identify hits/misses/opportunities for our vertical brand product.
• Seasonal analysis of Circana/SFIA/KOA…etc. data by category to identify trends and opportunities/risks in the market.
• Regular omni channel shopping and tracking of identified aspirational brands for product intelligence and inspiration.
• Assist in identifying emerging aspirational brands to watch.

Execute Business Development Functions Throughout The Product Lifecycle

• Execute style creation when new styles are adopted
• Execute Purchase Order maintenance
• Assist in the sample management of samples
• Develop analytical thinking skills to translate current business analysis into strategy and action.
• Analyze seasonal selling by attributes to identify opportunities for future development: category, class, style, item size/type, color, print/pattern, good/better/best pricing…etc.
• Identify where style and category attributes are over indexing and under indexing in the business to influence future product strategies, assortments, and development.
• Assist in the post-season hindsighting of product wins/misses/opportunities

Instill Trust and Credibility within the Vertical Brands Cross Functional Team:

• Develop credibility and trust with manager and internal vertical brands cross functional team through delivering consistent, high quality work
• Build on skills and learn from peers and managers on the job
• Build sound POV on the assortment backed up by data
• Develop selling and influencing skills that can be applied to successfully selling ideas around the product strategies, big ideas, and assortment architecture to managers and internal vertical brands cross functional team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• 1-3 years of related experience in vertical merchandising or product development

Virtual Requirements

At DICK’S, we thrive on innovation and authenticity. That said, to protect the integrity and security of our hiring process, we ask that candidates do not use AI tools (like ChatGPT or others) during interviews or assessments.

To ensure a smooth and secure experience, please note the following:

• Cameras must be on during all virtual interviews.
• AI tools are not permitted to be used by the candidate during any part of the interview process.
• Offers are contingent upon a satisfactory background check which may include ID verification.

If you have any questions or need accommodations, we’re here to help. Thanks for helping us keep the process fair and secure for everyone!