ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Dan Dee is a global company that specializes in plush and décor for both every day and seasonal goods in the mass market. The Merchant with specialized experience with licensed products will be responsible for owning the end-to-end management and execution of their assigned season within the portfolio to ensure delivery of sales, profit and retail performance goals. They will be responsible for leading a cross-functional team through product planning cycle including season/product analysis, development of seasonal model lines, influencing assortment planning and leading ranking discussions with business partners to inform demand planning for final execution. The right candidate for this role will operate as the owner of their assigned responsibilities. They must be passionate about the consumer and intellectually curious about their business – with a balanced financial and creative drive.
A successful Merchant is someone who can influence decision makers by sharing a strong merchant point of view that is derived from historical data, balanced with upcoming consumer trends. The Merchant has a passion to grow and contribute knowledge and skills in the industry and enjoys team collaboration. The merchant will be a strategic problem-solver who understands current and upcoming trends relevant to our consumers and retailers. They will manage the overall business performance of defined category or seasons and develop key relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. The Merchant balances knowledge of the Licensed markets and Licensing trends, with inventory management and product delivery to ensure a best-in-class model line.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Utilizes the Merchant Process to ensure all cross-functional partners and leadership team are aligned to the seasonal model line being produced
- Works with internal and external teams for product concepts, branding and creating various product and seasonal line assortments that meet the overall business goals, product strategy and profitability
- Directly involved in all aspects of product development from initial concept, sampling through sourcing, price negotiations and execution to meet time and action calendar(TNA) and deadlines
- Leads seasonal meetings with the team to ensure key milestone deliverables are met
- Leads and coordinates marketplace, situation and competitive analysis; summarizes learnings and recommends actions for leadership team – including synthesizing large volumes of data/past sales into useful insights and conclusions for future development – information will be used to scale the assortment line to retailers
- Develops model line summaries that enable the cross-functional team to fully understand consumer/customer needs and deliverables and associated tactical plans that provide direction to cross-functional partners on “how” to execute strategy
- Accountable for the model line, assortment, ensure BOMs accuracy on all materials/specifications, and gross margin’s and growing the category/season
- Presentation of formats & creative direction for product-to-product Core, Fashion, Trend – as well as SKU rankings – will partner with Assortment Planner to ensure balance amongst the line
- Presents and communicates the licensed product lines to internal management, stakeholders, as well as retailers
- Works and communicates on daily basis directly with overseas vendors through product development, pricing, sample approval and production process
- Drives strategic buy decisions and business performance of defined merchandise category with partnership with the Director of Merchandising
- Manages in-season business by analyzing sales and improving margins
- Works with internal planning, operations and logistics teams for PO issuing, production status, to order placement – ensure TNA is being used between US and HK merchants
- Manages and trains junior team members when necessary
- This role may require domestic and international travel
- Performs other tasks as required
· QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's Degree
- 5+ years specializing in Licensed Products
- 5+ years related experience in Merchandising for licensed products or Product Development for licensed products
- Self-motivated with excellent problem-solving skills
- Successful team leadership experience on a direct or indirect basis
- Proven ability to articulate key trends, end to end business drivers and external influences affecting the business
- Ability to use data and financial analysis as well as consumer trends to evaluate, draw insights, articulate point of view and act on product options and opportunities
- Detail and task oriented. Strong presentation and negotiation skills.
- Experience and knowledge of product develop, overseas sourcing, manufacturing process, importing and costing
- Must have strong interpersonal skills to develop relationships with stakeholder both internally and externally, and to work effectively in a team approach
- Must have the ability to multi-task on daily basis. Critical thinking, problem solving and organizational skills are important for success.
- Must be professional, organized, detail oriented and possess the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment
- Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and particularly Excel
PREFERRED SKILLS
- NetSuite experience a positive
ABILITY TO COMMUTE
- This job is located in Kansas City and is on-site Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (may change due to business decision)
Travel may be required, up to 20 %
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- What is your requested salary range? (required for consideration)
Education:
Experience:
- Merchant/Merchandising: 7 years (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
