Merchant, VS Bras

Victoria's Secret & Co.; Reynoldsburg (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Victoria’s Secret & Co. is seeking a Merchant to develop and drive category strategies and seasonal assortments based on deep brand knowledge and customer insights.

You will collaborate with design, planning, deployment, production, stores operations, and visuals to execute the brand vision and category goals. Your role focuses on translating customer patterns into actionable assortment decisions, leading cross-functional teams, and sustaining strong leadership presence while prioritizing

Qualifications

• Leadership capabilities with cross-functional influence and communication.
• Ability to translate customer insights into assortment decisions.
• Strong analytical and presentation skills to support category goals.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive strategy for at least one category, aligning with brand vision.
• Partner with design, planning, demand & deployment, production, stores operations, and visual teams.
• Lead in-season performance analysis and translate insights into action.
• Develop and communicate testing and growth opportunities to senior leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Category management

Customer insights

Job description

Description

Your Role:

The Merchant helps to develop and drive a category of business’s strategies and seasonal assortment plans based upon a detailed knowledge of the brand, intimate understanding of the customer, and studied appreciation of the competition and overall market place.They critically evaluate the assortment and reacts to in-season performance/trends and translates to future seasons.The Merchant demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the connection between financial strategies and related merchandise objectives.The position collaborates directly with various cross functional teams including but not limited to design, merchandise planning, demand & deployment, production, stores operations, and visual presentation to ensure execution of the accurate brand vision and category goals. The Merchant must possess strong leadership skills as they are ultimately responsible for driving cross-functional communication and for motivating the team to be customer-focused, curious, and team oriented in their work.The Merchant supports the leadership team in prioritizing workload and plays a supportive role in training merchandising talent within the company. This role owns at least one category of business.

Your Impact:

Leadership

• Lead and demonstrate strong cross-functional partnerships with clear and accurate communication while demonstrating company values




• Lead and influence solutions-based thinking, conflict resolution and productive dialogue in cross functional and merchandising meetings




• Begin to develop leadership presence and cast positive leadership shadow




• Demonstrate ability to layer strategic thinking and business ownership on top of business execution




• Consistently react with urgency while comprehending overall strategy

Customer

• Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn customer insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy




• Translate and apply customer and competitive patterning insights into actions that will drive the business and assortment forward




• Remain curious about the customer to better understand their current demands and seek to learn more through store travel and taking on the customer lens




• Partner across merchandising categories to connect dots on larger, total brand trends and patterns




• Understand the customer’s lifestyle by staying on top of trends, social media, and pop culture as it specifically relates to the customer, in stores or wherever they are




• Drive customer insight strategy via the internal teams and external focus groups

Product

• Responsible for executing the seasonal financial plan into a product assortment while preserving brand position and brand image




• Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn product insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy and influence the evolution of potential new categories to fill customers’ needs




• Accountable for key meeting prep with sample availability, style & color ranking, deck preparation, and ad hoc requests and analysis, always staying agile and flexible




• Responsible for ongoing trend analysis and reporting, inclusive of competitive landscape & competitive patterning




• Drive development of a robust testing agenda to identify and unlock future growth opportunities

Financial

• Accountable for sales and margin targets for their category of business




• Develop roadmap and lineplan architecture by season and align with Planning partners in lineplan reviews to present to Senior Leadership




• Ensure price-value relationship is in line with customer expectation




• Understand product trends and historical data at the category level in order to manage in-season opportunities




• Actively participate and influence in costing meetings by floorset

Talent

• Select, train, coach and develop a diverse team to ensure effective performance and growth through consistent on-the-job training




• Manage yourself as well as your team (i.e., handling high pressure situations, proactive problem solving, positive leadership shadow, maintaining healthy relationships across the organization)




• Actively give, seek and take action on feedback to and from all levels to enable growth and development in role




• Minimum of one direct report

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