Divisional Merchandising Manager

Job Description

Colony Brands is one of North America's largest and most successful direct marketing catalog and e-Commerce companies. We are seeking a Merchandising leader who knows the hardgoods business, is a positive leader, and brings an entrepreneurial spirit to identify, develop, and grow others and business opportunities. Do the challenges of retail and merchandising energize you? Do you enjoy helping others overcome challenges and grow in their roles? If so, then this role should be of interest to you!

What You'll Do:

As Divisional Merchandising Manager (DMM), you'll have the opportunity to establish brand merchandising strategies and positively impact the customer experience and profitability of a stable, family-owned, customer-centric company in business since 1926. You'll direct individual Senior Merchandise Managers through KPI definition, execution of optimal assortments, and merchandising of engaging catalogs for the hardgoods division. The DMM will report to the Executive Director of Merchandising & Design.

As a DMM, you will also be accountable for:

* Developing a strong team of all levels of merchants by mentoring and teaching both fundamentals and advanced concepts to continually elevate merchandising competencies in the organization

* Ensuring appropriate training on best practices, processes, reports, and communication to enhance the skill development and career growth of the Merchandising team

* Evaluating existing merchandising practices and presenting recommendations to improve outcomes and achieve operational efficiencies

* Developing annual budgets and providing financial oversight of merchandising expenses and variances

* Providing indirect leadership and partnering with the Divisional Planning, Inventory, and Sourcing teams

* Driving collaboration with Brand Marketing, Quality Assurance & Internet, Legal, Traffic & Logistics, Fulfillment Operations, Call Centers, Accounting, Integrated Marketing Services, Creative Marketing Services, etc.

* Consistently incorporate Colony Brands' core values into work culture, including:

o Fostering, valuing, and rewarding a team-oriented, performance-driven, and customer-focused culture

o Reinforces accountability to individual and business results

o Providing direction, sharing information, and cultivating two-way dialog within the merchandising organization.

o Creates a climate that inspires and enables merchandising staff to formulate creative ideas to keep our portfolio of brands exciting and purposeful in the minds of customers

* Partnering with Planning to develop seasonal plans that achieve financial goals of Colony Brands (KPIs/IPIs) and working closely with cross-functional Supply Chain partners to support key business initiatives and process improvement

* Analyzing in-season and hindsight business performance to determine successes, trends, and applying an understanding of historical performance, industry competitors, and multi-channel merchandising to recommend assortment and pricing strategies to maximize financial results in both print and digital channels

* Driving all merchandising-owned Seasonal Planning Calendar milestones and deliverables

* Establishing merchandising standard operation procedures (SOP's), key deliverable templates, and training

* Evaluating seasonal assortment plans and providing guidance to the Merchandising team on category goals, line structure, price points, product mix, QA issues, vendor performance, etc. to provide products that are customer-relevant, aligned to each brand's direction, and achieve financial targets

* Taking projects from concept to full implementation, including process and objectives development, delegation to team members, communication and follow-up with all involved parties to ensure best results

* Acquiring a strong understanding of the scope of the business and adapting creative tools to solving general business problems

Qualifications

We are seeking someone with at least 10 years' Merchandising experience, with experience in hardgoods categories preferred. This would be primarily in catalog or Direct Mail Order. Additional experience in Retail or Internet Sales is a plus but not required. To be successful, this role requires exceptional leadership and mentoring skills. Ideally you will have a bachelor's degree in Business, Retail Consumer Science, Fashion Merchandising or related curriculum. In addition, we are looking for:

* 10+ years' experience in a product merchandising in a multi-brand and multi-channel environment or a brand with a high complexity of directives and strategies.

* A strategic mindset and sound reasoning skills to understand the factors influencing strategy such as customers, competition, and the organization's strengths and weakness

* A demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with diverse individuals and achieve positive results through others

* Financial and business acumen and prior budgeting experience with the ability to develop these skills in others

* An understanding of product development, market good requests, and the sourcing process

* A critical understanding of the market to lead merchandising efforts for multiple brands

* Effective organizational skills with the proven ability to manage multiple priorities/tasks and complex, multi-department projects to optimal completion

* Demonstrated passion for external customers and respect for internal partners to behaviors, decisions, and actions

* Excellent communication and presentation skills especially to senior leadership

This position is a hybrid role and offers the flexibility to work at our headquarters in Monroe, WI while also working from home (remotely). To take advantage of the remote work option, you must:

* Have reliable, high-speed internet and appropriate home office ergonomics

* Be able to travel to/work in Monroe, WI roughly 5 times/quarter for team events, meetings, and trainings

* Be able to travel nationally/internationally 1-2x/year

* Maintain a residence in a State where we currently have other employees (location restrictions apply)

About Us

Colony Brands, Inc. is one of North America's largest, multi-channel, direct-marketing companies. The company maintains an extensive portfolio of affiliates, brands, and products ranging from cheese and petit fours to apparel and kitchen appliances, while maintaining its roots as a private, customer-centric business based in Monroe, WI. We're financially sound, yet our success is not just defined by our profits; it's about living our Core Values, giving our employees the opportunity for growth and providing a better place to live and work! To that end, Colony Brands generously supports the communities we work in and offer many benefits and programs that support the well-being of our employees.

Benefits Details

Colony Brands is not just about growing our profits - We are about giving our employees the opportunity for growth and providing a better place to live and work. We also offer our employees many great rewards in addition to monetary compensation:

• Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• A robust Wellness Program including Onsite Healthcare
• Superb Retirement Plans (401K & a company-funded Pension Plan)
• Extensive Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits
• Seven 4-day work weeks in the summer months to give our employees additional time off
• Educational Assistance
• Company Profit-Sharing
• Company Product Discounts
• And, so MANY more!