Senior Merchandising Manager

Urbanstems; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

UrbanStems in New York seeks a Senior Manager, Merchandising to own the assortment strategy and P&L for a major category. This role moves from tactical execution to strategic ownership, shaping category direction, negotiating with vendors, and leading cross-functional planning with Supply Chain, Ecommerce, Marketing, and Finance.

You will develop the team, translate data into forward-looking viewpoints, and drive demand planning, inventory, and seasonal planning while representing Merchandising

Qualifications

• Experience setting category direction and lifecycle planning.
• Proven track record of improving vendor economics.
• Experience leading and developing managers/associates.
• Strong data fluency and ability to defend a P&L.
• Comfort with cross-functional planning and senior stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end assortment strategy including pricing, margins, and lifecycle planning.
• Manage the category P&L including sales, markdowns, and inventory turns.
• Lead vendor negotiations and build senior supplier relationships.
• Set GTM calendar and align cross-functional partners to it.
• Translate market and customer data into forward-looking assortment perspectives.
• Partner with Supply Chain on demand planning and replenishment strategy.
• Represent Merchandising in seasonal planning and post-mortems.
• Serve as escalation point for product quality or availability issues.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Vendor negotiations

People leadership

Data-driven decision making

Effective communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Excel/Google Sheets

Looker/Tableau

Job description

The Senior Manager, Merchandising owns the assortment strategy and P&L performance for a major product category (floral and/or non-floral). This is a step up from a tactical execution role into strategic ownership: you'll set category direction, own vendor and margin negotiations, and represent Merchandising in cross-functional planning with Supply Chain, Ecommerce, Marketing, and Finance leadership. You'll also be a people manager, developing that direct report's skills and growth path.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end assortment strategy for your category — architecture, pricing, margin targets, and lifecycle planning — aligned to brand and revenue goals
• Set and manage the category P&L: sales, margin, markdown, and inventory turn targets, reporting results to the VP of S&OP and Merchandising
• Own vendor strategy: lead high-stakes negotiations on cost, terms, and exclusivity; manage the senior vendor relationships in your category
• Set the GTM calendar for your category and hold cross-functional partners (Supply Chain, Ecommerce, Marketing, Creative) accountable to it
• Translate trend, competitive, and customer data into a forward-looking assortment point of view; present recommendations to senior leadership
• Partner with Supply Chain leadership on demand planning, inventory investment, and replenishment strategy for the category
• Represent Merchandising in seasonal planning (peak holidays) and post-mortems, driving action items company-wide
• Be the escalation point for product quality, sourcing, or availability issues within your category

Who You Are

• A strategic operator who can zoom out to set direction and zoom in to fix a broken PO
• A confident negotiator with a track record of improving vendor economics
• A people leader who develops talent, not just manages tasks
• Fluent in data — comfortable building and defending a P&L, not just reading one
• Calm under pressure during peak seasons, with the judgment to triage competing priorities
• A clear, credible communicator with senior stakeholders and cross-functional peers alike

What You Bring

• 8–10+ years in buying, merchandising, or planning, ideally in DTC, gifting, or retail
• 3+ years directly managing people, with demonstrated success developing managers/associates
• Proven ownership of a category P&L, including margin and markdown management
• Vendor negotiation experience at a strategic (not just transactional) level
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets; experience with Looker, Tableau, or similar BI tools a plus
• Willingness to learn floral/plant product knowledge if not already a category expert