Merchandise Strategy Lead for Sports & Events

Sports Careers; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sports Careers seeks an Assistant Director of Merchandise to lead planning, development, and execution for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, and KeyBank Center live events. You will oversee reporting, e-commerce, inventory, and product placement to drive revenue and strengthen brand identity.

You will manage cosigned merchandise for events, drive data-driven decisions, and supervise a merchandising team to ensure brand guidelines and licensing requirements are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or retail management or related field.
• 5+ years of retail merchandise experience, ideally in sports, entertainment or licensed products.
• Strong product development, buying and vendor negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in retail metrics, financial reporting, reducing shrinking and overseeing e-commerce fulfillment.
• Proficiency in Shopify and/or Retail POS systems and Microsoft Office suite.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute seasonal merchandise plans aligned with brand identity and sales targets.
• Plan, implement, and oversee high-volume retail operations during home games and events.
• Oversee the e-commerce platform ensuring accurate product listings and inventory.
• Analyze merchandising metrics to optimize assortment and margins.
• Manage budgets, forecast sales targets, and monitor profit margins.

Skills

Retail leadership

Merchandise planning

Vendor negotiation

E-commerce management

Data analysis

Team management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/retail

Tools

Shopify

Retail POS systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Sports Careers seeks an Assistant Director of Merchandise to lead planning, development, and execution for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, and KeyBank Center live events. You will oversee reporting, e-commerce, inventory, and product placement to drive revenue and strengthen brand identity.

You will manage cosigned merchandise for events, drive data-driven decisions, and supervise a merchandising team to ensure brand guidelines and licensing requirements are met.