Lead Merchant

Work options: Hybrid

Onsite: Mon-Thurs

Title: Lead Merchant

Location: Beaverton, OR

Duration: 6 Months contract

NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world's best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. The company looks for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Its culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At Nike, it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.

Who We Are Looking For

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Women’s Merchandising Team is looking for a Lead Merchant to manage Women’s Apparel for one of Nike’s largest global apparel partners. We are looking for a merchant with experience managing large and complex businesses, who is detail and solution oriented, passionate about Women’s fashion, trends, and comfortable presenting to and influencing external accounts to grow the Women’s business. This merchant will be responsible for building consumer right assortments, driving cross-functional relationships both internally and externally - including consumer merchandising, sales, planning, marketing, and external buying teams, and obsessing consumer needs and opportunities to create the future of Women’s Apparel at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Must have a strong passion for Women’s Apparel, with deep knowledge of trend, consumer, and the marketplace.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher, or combination of relevant education, experience, and training
• 5+ years of experience in Merchandising, Product Management, Buying in Women’s Apparel for a large national retailer/brand. Strong preference for background in Women’s Athletic Apparel
• Strong preference for experience working with an external account
• Consumer-centric mindset and strong merchandising and retail acumen
• Passion and deep knowledge of Women’s fashion, trend, consumer, and marketplace
• Self-starter, proficient information seeking skills, and a drive for results
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including presentations to various cross-functional internal partners and external account
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to influence, empower, and lead across various functions
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and seasons
• Proficiency with Keynote, PowerPoint, Word and Excel
  
  

What You Will Work On

• Multi-Season Assortment Planning: Responsible for defining and driving multi-season assortment plans that align with partner growth, financial targets, and CFOP CSR
• Product Assortment Strategies: Influence and partner with North America CFOP Merchandising teams on multi-season product assortment strategies, capacity and line plan opportunities
• External Relationships: Partner with and influence buying teams on assortment strategies; drive seasonal account assortment presentations. Execute and deliver seasonal readiness and sales tools
• Business Performance and Insights: Lead communications on business performance, consumer trends, and competitive landscape with cross-functional partners. Turn insights into action throughout the CODE process and quarterly marketplace connections. Identify product opportunities through GEL & Speed programs for closer to market trends.
• Prepare for and own key seasonal meetings throughout the Consumer Code calendar. This is inclusive of presenting and leading conversations and meetings with cross-functional partners and the Dick’s Sporting Goods account
• Partner with Planning and Sales on assortment style/color level forecasts, invest/divest strategies, franchise health, ensuring assortment depth, breadth and classification mix across CFOP align with seasonal strategies, financial targets and KPI’s
• Manage seasonal merchandising tools, VLPs (Visual Line Plans) and assortments in Merchandising system (AV)