Senior Merchandising Manager
urbanstemsBrooklyn (NY)
Senior Merchandising Manager
Posted 18 days ago
urbanstemsBrooklyn (NY)
SENIORITY
Manager
About the role
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 itTranslate 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 POA 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 Bring8–10+ 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
Before you apply
Applying takes about a minute. These four things decide how fast it moves after that.
Your profile is current
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Two examples you can talk through
Not a portfolio — just two pieces of work where you can explain the decisions and what you'd change.
A number in mind
What you're on now and what would make you move. We negotiate better when we know both.
Your notice period
Employers plan around it, and it's the question that stalls offers most often.
Once you apply, someone reads it and calls you before anything reaches the employer — usually within two working days.