Vice President, Creative Merchandising

Our client is looking for an Vice President, Creative Merchandising

Location: Warren, NJ

Type: Full-Time

Position Overview

If you are a strategic leader that has a balance of creativity coupled with an analytical skillset that has resulted in proven experience driving growth across global marketplaces, then we are looking for you! As a VP of Creative Merchandising, you will be responsible for creating and driving the product development/merchandising strategy for your assigned category including product assortment, sustainability, growth opportunities, etc. To be successful in this role, you must have a drive and passion for product along with an entrepreneurial spirit balanced with the ability to lead a team effectively, including prioritizing the needs of your business while working within quick timelines and delegating responsibilities to your team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the merchandising and brand management teams within designated business categories (Kids Craft, Kids Activity and/or STEM Education), ensuring alignment of innovative ideas and priorities against corporate goals and initiatives.
• Responsible for the strategic management and vision of designated brands. This includes working with executive leadership in establishing the brand vision, driving the execution of products that align with the assigned brands/programs and where necessary, working with licensing team through strategic partnerships, and pivoting and re-positioning products and brands based on changing market environments.
• Responsible for driving overall category volume and margin metrics of designated business segment through core brand management, brand extensions, category breadth increase and parallel category growth.
• Drive new product execution while maintaining existing portfolio of products; lead white space due diligence efforts with product development to identify growth avenues.
• Strategize with sales leaders on quantifying and tracking new growth opportunities and identifying new creative development avenues to drive incremental growth.
• Oversee efforts around assortment planning and SKU strategy; partnering closely with Sales and Planning leaders to maximize assortment decisions aligned around brand segment strategies.
• Identify areas of continuous improvement of product value, quality and messaging across product lines, striving to increase productivity, distribution and profitability of core brands. Conduct cost and margin analysis for all assigned programs; working closely with Finance and Strategic Merchandise Planning to drive profitability measures.
• Guide communication between US and overseas offices on all existing brands, new product development and global sourcing initiatives.
• Proactively work alongside product safety and compliance teams to ensure a consistently high level of quality for all kids product categories.
• Guide merchandising team in working with production and planning teams to ensure on-time delivery of product at retail.
• Lead production of quarterly competitive landscape analysis reports across major channels of distribution, identifying key market gaps and opportunities.
• Collaborate with internal teams to prepare for retail presentations and industry trade shows.
• Lead strategic costing negotiations in collaboration with global sourcing and overseas merchandising teams.
• Track POS data and identify plans to capitalize on trending products and categories; as well as identify gaps in distribution and retail laddering.
• Work with digital marketing and consumer services to ensure regular tracking of consumer sentiment, identifying key opportunities of continued improvements and potential white space.
• Professionally train, develop and mentor members of the creative merchandising team.
  
  

What You'll Bring

• At least 10 years of merchandising/brand management experience, ideally within a very fast-paced, quick turnaround industry.
• Must have the ability to work in a hybrid capacity from our Warren/New Providence, NJ office at least twice per week.
• Must have demonstrated experience developing and executing a strategy.
• Familiarity with working with value channel and national accounts is preferred.
• Must have strong leadership and team development skills.
• Must have strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively present in front of large audiences
  
  

Rate: 200,000