Corporate Merchant Manager, Outerwear

llbean; Freeport (ME); On-site; USD 109,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

L.L.Bean in Freeport, Maine seeks a Corporate Merchant Manager, Outerwear, to lead strategy and performance of a key product category, balancing customer needs with financial goals. You will develop the line plan, make assortment decisions, and partner across teams—Merchandise Planning, Product Development, Design, Ecommerce, Retail Merchandising—with a focus on driving growth and brand results.

The role requires strong cross-functional leadership, market insights, and a hands-on approach to

Qualifications

• BA/BS required
• 5+ years relevant experience required
• Product and institutional process knowledge preferred
• Comprehensive merchandising experience
• Mature oral and written communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills with extreme attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks while effectively meeting deadlines
• Work efficiently without direct supervision
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, comprehensive database utilization skills
• Team player with ability to work effectively with diverse personalities
• Must be able to handle difficult situations in a calm, professional manner
• Creative problem solving abilities
• Flexible in ever-changing, fast paced environment
• Skilled leadership ability
• Major projects are reviewed in terms of achieving the goals, generally extended over the long term.

Responsibilities

• Concept Ideation: Perform market research; assess the competition; bring forward new product ideas
• Strategic Planning: Develops & executes merchandising strategy, including assortment, sales planning, pricing, and distribution
• Business Strategy: For assigned areas, ensure that assortment, pricing strategy, margins & quality will align with overall brand vision and financial goals.
• Review / utilize market research to assess competition & develop assortment strategy
• Uses product performance reporting to make decisions
• Develops Division level concepts, items, and promotional strategies for assortment to ensure that the collection is commercially viable
• Merchandising, pricing and presenting the product seasonal line to meet financial strategies
• Managing in-season markdowns
• Manages / develop staff
• Actively coaches others to improve their performance. Supervises others.
• For assigned business areas
• Identify opportunities & risks through analyzing sales performance and gathering marketplace information
• Review sales, receipt flow, inventory & margin projections to maximize sales & minimize risks
• Adjust future Division strategies in-season to react to customer and business trends
• Plan product segmentation
• Oversee the work of others and manage medium - high SKUs/Dollars demand centers
• Develops & approves strategies.
• Participates in & oversees tactical work.
• Balances short term needs & long term results.
• Leads cross functional meetings/teams.
• Solicits input and influences decisions.
• Communicates to large groups as representative of department.
• Performs advanced level analysis of data. Identifies trends. Makes recommendations.
• Leads long term planning.
• Additional duties as assigned

Skills

5+ years experience

Merchandising experience

Oral & written communication

Organizational skills

MS Office / data analysis

Team player

Calm under pressure

Creative problem solving

Leadership

Long-term project focus

Education

BA/BS

Job description

At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.

Are you passionate about building great product assortments and shaping the future of a brand? As the Corporate Merchant Manager, Outerwear at L.L.Bean, you'll drive the strategy and performance of a dynamic product category, balancing customer needs, market insights, and financial objectives to drive growth. You'll lead the development of the line plan, make critical assortment decisions, and partner cross-functionally to bring innovative products to market while delivering exceptional business results.

Success in this role requires strong cross-functional leadership and collaboration, partnering closely with Merchandise Planning, Product Development, Design, Ecommerce, Retail Merchandising, Inventory Management, and Creative teams to bring category strategies to life and deliver exceptional business results.

Responsibilities:

Strategy

• Concept Ideation: Perform market research; assess the competition; bring forward new product ideas
• Strategic Planning: Develops & executes merchandising strategy, including assortment, sales planning, pricing, and distribution
• Business Strategy: For assigned areas, ensure that assortment, pricing strategy, margins & quality will align with overall brand vision and financial goals.

Market Research

• Review / utilize market research to assess competition & develop assortment strategy

Planning & Analytics

• Uses product performance reporting to make decisions
• Develops Division level concepts, items, and promotional strategies for assortment to ensure that the collection is commercially viable
• Merchandising, pricing and presenting the product seasonal line to meet financial strategies
• Managing in-season markdowns

Core Work

• Manages / develop staff
• Actively coaches others to improve their performance. Supervises others.

For assigned business areas

• Responsible for the line plan
• Identify opportunities & risks through analyzing sales performance and gathering marketplace information
• Review sales, receipt flow, inventory & margin projections to maximize sales & minimize risks
• Adjust future Division strategies in-season to react to customer and business trends
• Plan product segmentation
• Oversee the work of others and manage medium - high SKUs/Dollars demand centers
• Develops & approves strategies.
• Participates in & oversees tactical work.
• Balances short term needs & long term results.
• Leads cross functional meetings/teams.
• Solicits input and influences decisions.
• Communicates to large groups as representative of department.
• Performs advanced level analysis of data. Identifies trends. Makes recommendations.
• Leads long term planning.
• Additional duties as assigned

Health and Safety Requirement:

Every employee is responsible for contributing to a safe and healthy workplace. Employees are expected to be active participants in health and safety by following all safety policies and procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors to leadership, and conducting work in a safe manner. Those in a leadership role are also expected to model safe behaviors, evaluate risk, and ensure that risks are reduced to acceptable levels.

Skills and Qualifications:

• BA/BS required
• 5+ years relevant experience required
• Product and institutional process knowledge preferred
• Comprehensive merchandising experience
• Mature oral and written communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills with extreme attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks while effectively meeting deadlines
• Work efficiently without direct supervision
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, comprehensive database utilization skills
• Team player with ability to work effectively with diverse personalities
• Must be able to handle difficult situations in a calm, professional manner
• Creative problem solving abilities
• Flexible in ever-changing, fast paced environment
• Skilled leadership ability
• Major projects are reviewed in terms of achieving the goals, generally extended over the long term.

L.L.Bean uses a market-based compensation approach. The anticipated starting base pay for this position is $108,700.00-$135,900.00. Individual compensation may vary based on factors such as a candidate’s experience, qualifications, education, geographic location, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.

If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote belonging.