Director of Merchandising

2nd Swing Golf; Eden Prairie (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with company match

Discounted merchandise

Job summary

2nd Swing Golf is seeking a Director of Merchandising to own sourcing, buying strategy, and vendor negotiations. You will lead a team of buyers, manage the category budget, and drive analytics and KPI frameworks that guide cross-functional projects from scope to launch.

The role requires strong cost modeling, weekly performance reviews, and presenting budget variance to the executive team. This is a full-time, in-office leadership position at the Eden Prairie campus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Merchandising, Finance, or related field.
• 7+ years in buying/sourcing/category management, including 3+ years leading a team.
• Experience owning a category budget or P&L with forecasting and variance management.
• A track record of building KPIs and scorecards to drive improvement.
• Strong negotiation with suppliers and cost savings or margin improvement.
• Analytical skills with large data sets and ERP/purchasing systems experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of buying and sourcing professionals.
• Own the annual category budget — revenue, gross margin, inventory investment.
• Build open-to-buy plan aligned to sales forecasts and financial targets; reforecast regularly.
• Design reporting infrastructure: category dashboards, vendor scorecards, margin reporting.
• Translate analysis into recommendations for leadership; identify opportunities and risks.
• Identify and onboard new suppliers; maintain a diversified vendor base.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive corrective action.
• Develop assortment strategy and pricing strategies with Finance and Merchandising.
• Manage inventory to balance service targets with carrying costs; coordinate with distribution and stores.

Skills

Excel

Budget ownership

KPIs & scorecards

Negotiation

Project management

Data analysis

Vendor management

Supply chain knowledge

SQL/large data sets

Golf product knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Merchandising, Finance, or related field

Tools

NetSuite

SAP

Oracle

Dynamics

Job description

The Director of Merchandising owns the end-to-end sourcing and buying strategy — from vendor identification and negotiation through assortment planning, pricing, and inventory performance. This role sits at the intersection of supply, demand, and margin: you help decide what we buy, who we buy it from, what we pay, and how much we carry.

This is a full-time, in-office, player-coach leadership role reporting to the VP of Purchasing. You will manage and develop a team of buying and sourcing professionals, own the category budget and annual plan, build the analytics and KPI framework the team is measured against, and lead cross-functional projects from scope through launch.

The right person is equally comfortable building a cost model in a spreadsheet, negotiating annual terms across the table, running a weekly performance review with a direct report, and presenting a budget variance to the executive team.

Come work with us, not for us!

2nd Swing is a one of a kind, forward thinking, customer-centric golf retail company. Our employees are highly-valued, while working hard in a positive and supportive culture. At 2nd Swing you will find:

• Vast Exposure to the Golf Industry
• A Commitment to Total Well-Being
• Opportunities to Discover Your Fit and Make an Impact
• A Collaborative and Flexible Environment

Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of buying and sourcing professionals
• Establish the team's KPI framework — set targets, define measurementmethodology, and build the scorecards and dashboards that make performance visible

Budget, Planning & Analytics

• Own the annual category budget — revenue, gross margin, inventory investment, and cost-savings targets — and manage performance against it throughout the year
• Build andmaintainthe open-to-buy plan by category, aligned to sales forecasts and financial targets; reforecast monthly and quarterly as demand, supply, and cost conditions shift
• Design andmaintainthe reporting infrastructure the team runs on: category dashboards, vendor scorecards, sell-through and margin reporting, and cost-savings tracking
• Translate analysis into recommendations —identifythe trend,sizethe opportunity or risk, and bring a decision-ready point of view to leadership
• Identify, negotiate, and onboard new suppliers;maintaina diversified vendor base that balances cost, quality, lead time, and risk
• Monitor supplier performance against scorecard metrics (fill rate, on-time delivery, defect rate, chargebacks) and drive corrective action where needed
• Proactively manage supply risk — single-source exposure, tariff and duty changes, capacity constraints, and lead-time volatility
• Develop assortment strategy: good/better/best structure, price-point architecture, breadth vs. depth, and exclusive or private-label opportunities
• Set pricing, markdown, and clearance strategy with Finance and Merchandising, and execute cost-savings initiatives against target
• Analyze sell-through, attach rates, and category trends to inform reorders, expansions, and discontinuations; partner with Merchandising and Marketing on launches and promotional calendars
• Manage inventory to balance in-stock service targets against carrying cost and aged-inventory exposure; partner with Distribution and Store Operations on allocation, replenishment, and new-store opening buys

Process & Project Execution

• Break complex initiatives into workstreams with named owners, dependencies, and milestone dates; elevate blockers before they become delays
• Drive process improvement across the buying function — reduce manual work, tighten cycle times, improve PO accuracy, lead-time reliability, and data integrity at the source
• Identifywhere processes and systems are breaking down, then partner with Development and Operations to scope, prioritize, and see fixes through to implementation and adoption
• Maintain project documentation and standardized playbooks so repeatable work becomes repeatable, not reinvented

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Merchandising, Finance, or a related fieldrequired
• 7+ years in buying, sourcing, or category management, including 3+ years managing a team
• Demonstrated ownership of a category budget or P&L — annual planning, forecasting, and variance management
• Track recordof building KPIs and scorecards and using them to drive accountability and measurable improvement
• Success negotiating supplier agreements and delivering measurable cost savings or margin improvement
• Strong analytical skills — advanced Excel, comfort with large data sets — and experience with ERP orpurchasingsystems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics)
• Proven project management capability, leading multi-stakeholder initiatives from scope through delivery
• Active, knowledgeable golfer who understands the major OEM brands and what separates one club from another;we'llteachthe industrymechanics to the right buyer

Preferred Qualifications:

• Golf industry experience — buying, merchandising, or fitting at a retailer, OEM, green-grass shop, or distributor
• Pre-owned, trade-in, or recommerce sourcing and grading
• Retail, e-commerce, or omnichannel background — or another enthusiast hard-goods category where productexpertisedrives the sale
• Experience using BI and planning tools

Physical Requirements:

• This is a full-time, in-office role — on-site at our corporate office; remote and hybrid arrangements are not available
• Regular use of a computer and phone in an office setting
• Ability to thrive in a very fast-paced, constantly changing environment where priorities shift and decisions are made with incomplete information
• Occasional time in warehouse, distribution center, or retail store environments
• Domestic travel up to 25%, including some overnight and weekend travel for trade shows and vendor visits
• Employee Programs
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• 401k with eligible company match
• Health Insurance
• HSA/FSA options
• Discounted Merchandise
• Continued Training and Development
• Work Life Balance

Compensation:

Annual Salary of $110,000 - $160,000 depending on qualifications

Equal Opportunity Employer
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