Sr. Director of Merchandising (DMM) - Women's Apparel

Corporate J. Crew Group, LLC; Texas; Hybrid; USD 153,000 - 201,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Well-being

Associate Discount

Summer Fridays

Community Impact

Winter Break

Job summary

J.Crew Group is seeking a Senior Director of Merchandising to own product strategy and financial performance for women’s apparel categories. You will lead a team of merchandisers and partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing, and Marketing to translate brand vision into commercially viable assortments.

You will drive sales, margins, and inventory productivity, set seasonal strategy, and collaborate across a matrix organization to protect growth drivers.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of merchandising or buying experience in Women’s apparel or accessories.
• 3+ years of leading teams and managing category financials.
• Strong analytical skills using sell-through, markdown, and productivity metrics.
• Ability to influence senior partners without direct authority in a fast-moving matrix environment.
• Proven track record of building high-performing teams and identifying future leaders.
• Clear and confident communicator able to present strategy to executives.
• Experience in specialty retail, DTC, or omni-channel environments.

Responsibilities

• Own sales, margin, and inventory productivity for assigned categories.
• Set seasonal and annual category strategy aligned to brand priorities.
• Lead and develop a team of merchandisers.
• Partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing, and Marketing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver assortments.
• Analyze post-season results to inform next-season decisions.

Skills

Merchandising leadership

Category financials

Analytical skills

Influence senior partners

Team development

Executive communication

Retail & DTC experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or related field

Job description

Our Story

J.Crew gets you dressed every day, for every occasion. Since 1983, we’ve been creating classics that feel familiar and refreshingly new, crafted with unbeatable quality and distinctive point of view—it’s no wonder we’ve been in your closet for four decades and counting. Today, we continue to do the classics our way, inspiring not only how you shop but how you define your personal style. Our commitment runs deeper than just making great clothes—we’re proud of our role in getting you dressed with confidence, character, and celebrating a distinctly American sensibility that makes us who we are. Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Sustainability has been celebrated with industry recognition, reflecting our commitment to fostering an inclusive and sustainable workplace.

The Role + Purpose:

The Senior Director of Merchandising owns the product strategy and financial performance of a defined set of categories within J.Crew Women's Apparel. Reporting to the VP, Women's Merchandising you will partner with Design, Planning, Sourcing, and Marketing to turn brand vision into commercially sound assortments: the right product, at the right price, at the right time. You will lead and develop a team of merchandisers and serve as the strategic voice for your categories across the business. Own sales, margin, and inventory productivity for your categories, and be accountable for delivering plan. Set seasonal and annual category strategy that ladders to brand priorities, and partner with Planning and Allocation on investment by channel and region to protect the biggest growth drivers. Build assortments with clear architecture (defined roles for each product, balanced across newness, core, and price tiers) and deliver a single, efficient global assortment plan to Design. Partner with Design from concept through final assortment, and work with Sourcing on fabric, color, and print platforms, to deliver product that is on-brand, differentiated, and commercially viable. Define price and value positioning using competitive and customer insight, and run structured post-season analysis that turns what worked and what didn’t into next-season decisions. Align Design, Planning, Sourcing, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising around a shared product story and investment plan, ensuring marketing support follows merchandise investment. Lead, coach, and develop a team of direct and indirect reports, building a culture of accountability, curiosity, and speed.

Qualifications: Required:

• 10+ years of experience in merchandising or buying in Women’s apparel or accessories, including 3 years leading teams.
• Track record of owning category financials and improving sales and margin outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort using data (sell-through, markdown, and productivity metrics) to drive decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior partners across Design, Planning, and Marketing without relying on authority, in a fast-moving matrix environment.
• Proven ability to build and develop high-performing teams and identify future leaders.
• Clear, confident communicator who can present strategy to executives.
• Experience in specialty retail, DTC, or omni-channel environments.

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or a related field is a plus, but not required.

Benefits + Perks

• Health & Well-being - Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more.
• Associate Discount - We love our products just as much as you do! That’s why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell).
• Summer Fridays - In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months.
• Community Impact - We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program.
• Winter Break - In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge.

Salary Range: $152,800.00 - $201,400.00

At J.Crew Group (JCG) we aim to pay competitively for our company’s size and industry. The base salary offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region of work premises, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

The base salary is just one component of J.Crew Group’s competitive total rewards strategy that also includes the opportunity for bonus, competitive benefits and perks.

One of our core focuses here at JCG is creating a community and culture that builds belonging. We are deeply committed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, and we warmly welcome job applicants of all backgrounds. JCG is proud to affirmatively provide equal opportunity to all associates and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, legally protected physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected under applicable law.

We make timeless clothes that last a lifetime…then pair them with of-the-moment styles season after season, decade after decade. We think that distinct heritage pairs perfectly with modern design and fabric technology. We believe in feel-good color… Even if black or navy makes you feel best, we’re here for that. We’re the experts in signature categories: cashmere, coats, blazers, pants—and we also collaborate with the coolest brands out there because we know that creativity is contagious. We consider leopard a neutral, speak stripes fluently and live for a great gingham. We believe in looking like a million bucks, not spending it—which is why we go the extra mile to source the absolute best fabrics at the most accessible prices. We also know that we have a responsibility to the planet and to humanity to choose eco-friendly fabrics and to support our factory workers, without compromise.

Our workplace should be a safe haven, where you flourish and succeed both as an individual and teammate. Discrimination, harassment and intimidation have no place in our offices, stores, or contact and distribution centers. We will not tolerate it in any form, and furthermore, it is illegal. This applies not only to our associates but also to vendors and customers. We explicitly prohibit discrimination based on the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identification and expression, legally protected physical or mental disability, genetic information (including characteristics, testing and refusing to submit to a test), veteran status or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state or local law. Any behavior or acts that violate this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.