Senior Merchandising Manager
urbanstemsNew York, NY
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
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Level
Manager L7
Location
New York, NY
Occupation
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Industry
All Other General Merchandise Retailers
Posted
yesterday