November 2026 Merchant Academy - Merchandising Specialist

Staples; Framingham (MA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Online & Retail Discounts

401(k) Company Match

Wellness programs

Job summary

Staples is hiring for a merchandising-focused role in Framingham, MA, offering an opportunity to manage SKU lifecycles and drive assortment strategy. You will partner with content, inventory, and vendor teams to optimize item setup, forecasts, and cost controls.

The position emphasizes data-driven decision making, reporting on sales and margins, and collaboration across multiple business units to ensure optimal assortment and vendor performance.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business or related field.
• May 2026 or August 2026 graduation is expected.
• 1–2 years of relevant business experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage SKU lifecycle: setup, maintenance, inactivations, RTVs/destroy, in partnership with content and inventory.
• Maintain Master Assortment tracker for all items used across BUs; provide SKU needs and maintenance.
• Communicate new items and forecasts across BU counterparts and planning teams.
• Identify matches to ALT products to improve assortment efficiency.
• Run reporting on sales, margins, vendor purchases, and BU performance.
• Conduct financial analysis of vendor and assortment; propose optimization opportunities.
• Communicate cost increases via PCW process with vendors or own brand teams.
• Handle high volume field inquiries with proactive problem solving.
• Coordinate with Distribution and Wholesaler teams to close assortment gaps.
• Support Merchandising and Generalist salesforce with RFPs and proposals.
• Assist execution of activities to deliver vendor and category strategies.

Skills

SKU management

Microsoft Excel

Data analysis

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Pursuing Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Staples is business to business. You're what binds us together.

What you'll be doing:

Our merchandising team aims to deliver the best value and selection to our customers through products, services, and solutions all centered around our customers' needs. We are driven by customer insights and analytics to bring products and solutions to market seamlessly. We're inclusive, well-rounded professionals who have deep experience in buying, selling, negotiating, operations, design, innovation, finance, and more.

Program Start Date: November 9, 2026

What you bring to the table:

• Responsible for managing the SKU throughout its lifecycle: item set up, maintenance, inactivations, and RTVs/destroy. Partner with content and inventory throughout the process.
• Manage the Master Assortment tracker for all items to be utilized across all BUs; provide SKU needs: adds, deletes, and maintenance, so all channels know their active assortment
• Facilitate communication of new items and forecasts across all BU Counterparts (.com, SBA, Quill, Essendant, HiTouch, and other acquisitions), Inventory & Planning, own brand, Vendor Management, etc.
• Identify, track, and provide matches to the merch ops team that can be used to ALT products when needed
• Become a system expert and be responsible for running reporting covering sales and margin performance, vendor purchases, BU performance, and ad hoc reporting
• Responsible for financial analysis of vendor and assortment and recommending opportunities to improve performance
• Process and communicate any cost increases via PCW Process with the vendors or own brand team
• Ability to handle a high volume of Field inquiries daily, and provide support by utilizing problem-solving skills quickly and efficiently
• Communicate effectively and proactively with the Distribution network and Wholesaler team to identify assortment gaps, and add new items at the best cost to the Master assortment as necessary
• Support Merchandising teams as well as Generalist salesforce with RFPs and Proposals.
• Support merchant on the execution of activities to deliver vendor and category strategies

What's needed - Basic Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Finance, or a related field
• Must be a May 2026 or August 2026 graduate
• 1-2 years of relevant experience in business or a related field preferred
• Ability to convey thoughts and ideas both verbally and in writing
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Previous experience working independently and executing across multiple groups

We Offer:

• Base Salary
• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups and resources such as the Social Justice Resource Center
• Flexible PTO (22 days) and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays), Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and morebenefits and perks.