Merchandise Development Specialist

pokemoncareers; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pokémon Company International is seeking a Merchandise Development Specialist to drive category coherence, brand storytelling, and data-informed product opportunities across Home, Office, and Outdoors.

You will translate strategy into compelling briefs, lead concept development, and collaborate with design, production, and clients to elevate product assortments for fans and customers. This role emphasizes cross-functional leadership and creative execution.

Qualifications

• Five to seven years of experience in merchandise and graphic design development for consumer products.
• Advanced knowledge of the product creation process from concept to production readiness.
• Experience translating brand strategy into actionable briefs and visuals for cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own category or subcategory coherence, ensuring alignment with brand standards and customer expectations.
• Translate strategy into actionable, visually compelling briefs for internal teams.
• Guide product direction across established lines and R&D opportunities using brand knowledge.
• Own timelines, readiness, and quality for assigned product work with cross-functional teams.
• Develop and present 3–6 concepts per product set with clear trade-offs and data-backed reasoning.
• Provide constructive feedback to strengthen concepts and presentations.

Skills

Brand management

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-informed insights

Presentation skills

Product development

Creative direction

Stakeholder communication

Mentoring

Job description

Get to know The Pokémon Company International

The Pokémon Company International manages the Pokémon property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

Learn more online at corporate.pokemon.com and pokemon.com .

Get to know the role

Job Title: Merchandise Development Specialist

Job Summary: This role provides creative direction, brand context, and data-informed insight to guide product development. The Merchandise Development Specialist partners cross-functionally to shape product storytelling, brand integration, and category growth. Supporting a specific category (Home, Office, and Outdoors), this role developed product and graphic design briefs, defines new opportunities, guides quality, and ensures final assortments meet or exceed customer expectations. Strong product development experience, brand fluency, critical thinking, communication, and relationship-building skills are essential, along with strong communication with the ability to present product concepts to diverse stakeholders. This specialist role brings forward innovative ideas, improves processes, navigates both established product and R&D opportunities, and acts as a subject matter expert within a category.

FLSA Classification (US Only): Exempt

People Manager: No

What you'll do

Product Direction, Planning & Execution

• Own category or subcategory coherence, ensuring alignment with brand standards, customer expectations, and category goals, supported by data-informed reasoning.
• Make informed decisions within scope, including in ambiguous situations, and elevate higher-risk or strategic issues.
• Translate strategy into actionable, visually compelling briefs for internal teams.
• Guide product direction across both established lines and R&D opportunities using brand knowledge and market awareness.
• Own timelines, readiness, and quality for assigned product work, aligning deliverables with priorities and business goals.
• Independently manage 3-5 product sets, maintaining clarity and momentum across cross‑functional teams (Production, Project Management, Clients, Approvals).

Brand Integration & Creative Guidance

• Apply brand understanding to ensure product and the art on the product delivers clear, compelling storytelling and emotional connection for fans of all kinds.
• Provide product and graphic design creative direction in partnership with Designers, aligning on intent, tone, and execution.
• Evaluate creative output against brand standards and customer expectations; challenge and course‑correct as needed.
• Translate brand strategy and franchise moments into clear creative direction across category initiatives.

Concept Development & Presentations

• Lead concept development across subcategories, delivering 3-6 concepts per product set, plus additional contributions to broader assortments.
• Develop and present multiple options, clearly outlining trade‑offs, risks, and opportunities with data-backed reasoning.
• Recommend a preferred direction supported by brand, customer, and business insights.
• Create clear, visual, and persuasive presentations connecting concepts to strategy and objectives.
• Provide constructive feedback to strengthen peer concepts and presentations.

Quality & Product Excellence

• Evaluate product and execution against quality standards, market samples, category goals, and customer expectations.
• Collect and apply data-informed insights through analysis of customer behavior, performance metrics, and market trends to guide product development.
• Identify risks or gaps throughout the product development process and recommend corrective actions without owning execution.
• Partner with management, clients, and Production to resolve issues and elevate when needed.

Process Improvement & Team Elevation

• Identify and recommend improvements to tools, workflows, and ways of working.
• Pilot process improvements within owned areas and partner with leadership for broader adoption.
• Share best practices and insights to improve team consistency and effectiveness.
• Provide informal mentorship through guidance and feedback.
• Model strong problem‑solving and challenge existing approaches constructively.
• Support leadership initiatives with expertise and execution.

What you'll bring

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in merchandise and graphic design development for consumer products such as apparel, accessories, home, office, or event-based merchandise.
• Advanced conceptual and practical knowledge of the product creation process, from early concept through readiness for production.
• Deep experience planning product cycles and contributing to merchandise strategies aligned to brand, customer, and business objectives.
• Proven ability to work effectively across