Merchandising Strategy & Insights

Location: Chicago, IL

Reports To: VP of Planning, Inventory, and Merchandising Strategy

Role Overview

The Merchandising Strategy & Insights role is the connective tissue between analytics, strategy, and execution - translating insight into action that fuels sustainable growth. This leader will partner across Planning, Buying, and Marketing to define the brand's merchandising roadmap, optimize assortments, and orchestrate cross-functional alignment that brings strategy to life in every phase of the merchandising calendar.

The candidate for this crucial position will ideally be someone with a merchant/buying background who is preferably from a vertical retailer who brings strong merchant skills plus the ability to use insights and strategy to drive category performance - and LOVES product.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Merchandising Insights: Analyze category, product, and channel performance to identify trends and opportunities; translate findings into clear, actionable strategies for merchandising and assortment planning.

• Assortment Optimization: Guide the creation and evolution of line architecture-balancing innovation, productivity, and customer demand through data-informed decision-making.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead and inspire cross-functional teams - including Planning, Buying, Marketing, and Store Operations - to deliver cohesive merchandising strategies that drive growth and margin expansion.

• Merchandising Calendar Leadership: Steer merchants through critical milestones in the merchandising cycle—bridging long-range strategy, in-season tactical pivots, and post-season hindsight to continuously elevate performance.

• Performance Reporting: Build and manage reporting frameworks and dashboards that turn complex data into simple, actionable insights.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Champion pilot initiatives, process enhancements, and analytical tools that modernize how the company plans, buys, and measures success.

• Executive Communication: Craft compelling narratives and visual presentations that articulate performance, insights, and strategic opportunities to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience & Expertise: 4–7 years in merchandising strategy, planning, or analytics - ideally within retail, fashion, or consumer goods.

• Strategic & Analytical Acumen: Exceptional ability to connect the dots between numbers and narrative; uses insight to inform both big-picture strategy and tactical execution.

• Leadership & Influence: Skilled at leading through collaboration and influence; able to align diverse teams toward common goals and elevate decision-making across the organization.

• Process & Organization: Adept at structuring complex workstreams, managing milestones, and driving disciplined execution across the merchandising calendar.

• Communication & Visualization: Strong presentation skills, including the ability to build PowerPoint decks that translate complex analysis into clear, visually compelling narratives.

• Mindset: Curious, agile, and motivated by pace and creativity - someone who thrives at the intersection of art and science in retail..