Merchant [AQ-20190]

Aquent; Reynoldsburg (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent is seeking a strategic leader to drive brand development and merchandise buying across international markets. You will shape product categories, connect financial insights with market trends, and pioneer growth initiatives that enhance global customer experiences.

Join a collaborative team to influence leadership, manage category performance, and apply an entrepreneurial, data-driven approach to deliver results across regions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of experience in brand development and merchandise buying.
• Multi-category experience.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to influence across different levels of an organization.
• Strategic, analytical, and creative thinking skills.
• Demonstrates flexibility and results orientation.
• Understanding of brand identity and target customer.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Responsibilities

• Partner with leadership to drive international brand businesses and identify growth opportunities.
• Contribute to category success by adapting brand strategies across global markets.
• Provide recommendations and gain alignment from leaders to influence cross-functional teams.
• Drive category growth with innovative thinking and market insights.
• Lead day-to-day communication across international and domestic teams.
• Act as category expert in key brand and cross-functional meetings.
• Cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and refine processes for international growth.
• Be accountable for sales and growth targets for your book of business.
• Collaborate across departments to leverage historical data for forward strategies.
• Drive alignment and collaboration with planning partners.
• Analyze, interpret, and report financial results weekly.
• Understand product selling trends and manage opportunities seasonally.

Skills

Brand development

Merchandise buying

Multi-category experience

Presentation skills

Communication skills

Influence across levels

Strategic thinking

Analytical thinking

Creative thinking

Flexibility

MS Office Suite

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Aquent is proud to partner with a globally recognized brand, a leader in its industry, known for its commitment to innovation and customer experience. This brand consistently shapes trends and delights customers worldwide, driven by a passion for quality and an unwavering vision.

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for product and a knack for driving business growth on an international scale? We are seeking an exceptional individual to join our team, where you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our product categories and directly influencing our global market presence. This is an incredible opportunity to make a tangible impact, leveraging your expertise to connect financial insights with market trends and pioneer new approaches in a dynamic environment. Your contributions will directly translate into enhanced customer experiences and significant business achievements.

About The Role

In this impactful role, you will be the driving force behind the success of key product categories, managing everything from assortment content and SKU optimization to innovative testing initiatives. You'll serve as a subject matter expert, applying your financial acumen and deep understanding of market dynamics to identify growth opportunities and mitigate risks. Your leadership will be crucial in fostering cross-functional collaboration, ensuring our teams remain customer-focused, innovative, and agile in delivering exceptional results globally.

What You'll Do

• Partner with leadership to drive international brand businesses, connecting financial patterns and market insights to identify growth opportunities and pioneer new buy models.
• Contribute to category success by adapting brand strategies across global markets, consistently meeting or exceeding financial goals.
• Provide recommendations and gain alignment from leaders to influence cross-functional teams, supporting key initiatives.
• Drive category business with "outside-of-the-box" thinking, linking financial patterns with market and store insights to uncover growth.
• Lead day-to-day communication across international and domestic teams.
• Act as the category expert in key brand and cross-functional meetings, driving prioritization and strategic focus.
• Cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, creating and refining new processes to enable international growth.
• Be accountable for sales and growth targets for your book of business, identifying opportunities for incremental growth and managing risk.
• Collaborate across departments to build and cascade seasonal hindsight, leveraging historical data to inform forward strategies and ensure accurate year-over-year comparisons.
• Drive category alignment and collaboration with planning partners.
• Analyze, interpret, and report financial results weekly to influence business strategy.
• Understand product selling trends and historical data at the category level to manage in-season and future opportunities.
• Serve as the expert for your category, understanding regional differences through market trends and analytical analysis to make appropriate recommendations.
• Influence and execute decisions regarding assortment edits and distortions by market.
• Maximize customer experience by driving the execution of all sales education, marketing, and visual requests for the product category (pre-season and in-season).
• Develop deep customer intimacy and competitive awareness through proactive knowledge seeking, including market exposure and travel.
• Manage all assortment details, cascading strategy changes to cross-functional teams.
• Support the seasonal hindsight process by compiling regional customer insights to influence go-forward strategies.
• Drive the communication of product details to cross-functional partners.
• Support key meetings through deck preparation and completion of ad hoc requests, maintaining agility and flexibility.
• Maintain strong communication with field teams and directly partner with regional teams through business reviews, assortment strategy cascades, and regional analysis.
• Build productive relationships with internal brand partners to facilitate information exchange, share best practices, and stay updated on assortment strategy.
• Establish and maintain strong partnerships with cross-functional teams by building rapport and communicating effectively.
• Possess strong category and business knowledge to gain internal buy-in.
• Consistently demonstrate open-mindedness and free thinking when problem-solving.
• Regularly share customer and floorset insights and business recommendations through store visits.
• Effectively onboard new cross-functional partners.
• Motivate the team to ensure effective performance and growth through consistent on-the-job feedback and training.
• Act as a role model within the company by coaching and teaching team members to work together and remain focused.
• Demonstrate mentoring and strong leadership to the team and cross-functional partners.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree.
• 5+ years of experience in brand development and merchandise buying.
• Multi-category experience.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across different levels of an organization.
• Proven strategic, analytical, and creative thinking skills.
• Passion for delivering results while maintaining flexibility.
• Ability to anticipate future needs, course correct, and adapt to change.
• Intimate understanding of brand identity and target customer.
• Ability to adapt well to diverse audiences and environments.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Bonus Points

• A Bachelor's degree specifically in Fashion Merchandising or a related field.
• Confident decision-making abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams.