Director, Merchandising Personalized Products

800flowerscareers; Burr Ridge (IL); On-site; USD 155,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Job summary

800flowerscareers is seeking a Director of Merchandising in Burr Ridge, IL to lead the commercial strategy for our curated product categories. You will own assortment, pricing, margin, and growth, partnering with Product Design, Planning, Sourcing, and Site Merchandising to take products to market.

The role requires 8–12+ years in merchandising or related fields, strong analytical skills, and the ability to drive cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced ecommerce environment.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, or category management (preferably in ecommerce or retail).
• Strong commercial acumen with ownership of revenue and margin.
• Experience managing complex assortments and large SKU counts.
• Ability to operate in a cross-functional, matrixed environment.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end performance for assigned categories, including revenue, margin, and inventory health.
• Define category strategy, assortment architecture, and SKU lifecycle (scale, maintain, exit).
• Drive disciplined SKU rationalization and portfolio optimization.
• Identify growth opportunities across customer segments, occasions, and price tiers.
• Define product opportunities and commercial briefs for Product Design & Development.
• Lead decisions on refresh vs replace vs add, ensuring newness is purposeful and disciplined.
• Ensure each SKU has a clear role within the assortment (hero, core, support).
• Partner with Licensing to incorporate collaborations in a scalable, profitable way.
• Own pricing strategy and SKU-level pricing decisions.
• Set and manage margin targets, including personalization upcharges.
• Partner with Planning and Sourcing to ensure cost and pricing alignment.
• Drive margin improvement through assortment, pricing, and product decisions.
• Define promotional strategy by category, including promo eligibility, discount depth guardrails, and role of promotions in driving demand.
• Partner with Site Merchandising and Planning to execute against strategy while protecting margin.
• Define buy intent and investment priorities.
• Partner with Planning on forecasts, inventory risk, and open-to-buy decisions.
• Take action to manage inventory health and optimize turns.

Skills

Merchandising leadership

Category management

SKU management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical decision-making

Personalized products experience

Job description

The Director, Merchandising is the commercial leader for the defined set of categories within our personalized products portfolio. This role owns assortment strategy, pricing, margin performance, and category growth, operating as a general manager within a cross-functional model.

This leader will drive business performance by making clear, data-driven decisions on what we sell, how we price it, and where we invest, while partnering closely with Product Design & Development, Planning, Sourcing, and Site Merchandising to bring products to market successfully.

Key Responsibilities:

Category & Portfolio Ownership:

• Own end-to-end performance for assigned categories, including revenue, margin, and inventory health
• Define category strategy, assortment architecture, and SKU lifecycle (scale, maintain, exit)
• Drive disciplined SKU rationalization and portfolio optimization
• Identify growth opportunities across customer segments, occasions, and price tiers.

Assortment Strategy & Product Direction:

• Define product opportunities and commercial briefs for Product Design & Development
• Lead decisions on refresh vs replace vs add, ensuring newness is purposeful and disciplined
• Ensure each SKU has a clear role within the assortment (hero, core, support)
• Partner with Licensing to incorporate collaborations in a scalable, profitable way

Pricing & Margin Management:

• Own pricing strategy and SKU-level pricing decisions
• Set and manage margin targets, including personalization upcharges
• Partner with Planning and Sourcing to ensure cost and pricing alignment
• Drive margin improvement through assortment, pricing, and product decisions

Promo Strategy & Demand Direction:

• Define promotional strategy by category, including

1. Promo eligibility
2. Discount depth guardrails
3. Role of promotions in driving demand

• Partner with Site Merchandising and Planning to execute against strategy while protecting margin

Inventory & Demand Alignment (with Planning):

• Define buy intent and investment priorities
• Partner with Planning on forecasts, inventory risk, and open-to-buy decisions
• Take action to manage inventory health and optimize turns

• 8–12+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, or category management (preferably in ecommerce or retail)
• Strong commercial acumen with ownership of revenue and margin
• Experience managing complex assortments and large SKU counts
• Ability to operate in a cross-functional, matrixed environment
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills
• Experience in personalized products, gifting, or related categories is a plus.

What We Offer:

• A collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Opportunities for professional growth within the company.
• The chance to contribute to a premium brand with a global reach.

The expected salary range for this position is $155,000 to $165,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, internal equity, and other factors permitted by law.

To support our commitment to being an employer of choice, we offer comprehensive and competitive health, wellness, and additional benefits to eligible full-time team members. Benefit eligibility may vary based on location, average hours worked, and length of service.

Benefits may include*:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance for the associate and eligible dependents
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401(k) retirement savings program
• Mental health resources and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid vacation time (accrued based on hours worked and tenure)
• Paid company holidays
• Employee discount across our family of brands
• Potential eligibility for annual merit-based compensation increases, where applicable

*Exact benefit terms, conditions, and eligibility requirements are governed by official plan documents and applicable law. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, or terminate benefit plans and programs at any time.