Develops and executes a monthly assortment strategy for each channel that supports the brand concept and achieves key sales and profitability metrics for assigned categories.  Manages and motivates a team of merchants responsible for presenting key product themes to meet our customer’s needs through selecting collections offered by in house design team that delivers the appropriate style and color breadth and depth.

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Develops strategic merchandise framework and assortment plan to help guide design process. Reviews prior performance for assigned categories to maximize opportunities and grow the business by responding to what the customer is voting on.
• Selects merchandise that is brand appropriate, ensuring we are offering the appropriate mix of wear now and good/better/best to improve profitability.
• Collaborates with Design, Marketing and Inventory Management to develop Seasonal Strategic Framework, Brand Concept and Vision.
• Manages the Merchandising process through catalog layout, store zone placement and provides feedback to web team on appropriate pages for our web.
• Converts the company’s big ideas into detailed plans and collaborates with Inventory on determining our largest programs/bestsellers and appropriate purchase and availability of product (styles, sizes, colors counts).
• Manages IMU goals to achieve appropriate sales and gross margin plans. Shops competitive landscape to ensure appropriate prices points, quality and fit offered to our customer.
• Collaborates with Sourcing and product development on fabric liabilities and timing.
• Manages merchant team through fostering creativity and collaboration.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES: 

• Strong understanding of merchandise process and flow of product from inception to point of sale.
• Progressive thinker with a point of view on delivering the right level of fashion to our customers – easy, ageless, cool.
• Strong collaboration skills. Must do well partnering with peers and other departments to grow J. Jill.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to react to last minute strategy changes and evolving business needs, and clearly. communicating new focus to various business partners for a seamless end result.
• Self Starter, who can easily identify needs of department, coming up with solutions and new processes to make things more efficient and/or clearer.
• Ability to work with and develop strong relationships with cross-functional partners from various business areas, acting as a unifying point of view for the group.
• Big picture, conceptual thinker, while also being able to pay attention to the details of the deliverables.
• Strong sense of style and ability to work directly with the product and appropriately represent the J. Jill aesthetic.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• 12+ years of merchandising experience in a vertical retail environment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by associates assigned to this job.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this position.