The Director of Merchandising is a working retail leader who owns one of the organization’s largest revenue lines. This person runs the merchandise operation of the Pensacola Ice Flyers end to end, from arena retail and gameday point of sale through the Shopify storefront, inventory systems, vendor relationships, specialty programs, and fundraising support. They are expected to be on the floor, in the storefront, and in the numbers, not managing from a distance.
This is not a pure manager seat. For now, the Director of Merchandising runs every part of the operation personally and builds the systems, standards, and documentation that let the department scale. As volume grows, this role will hire and oversee a Retail and E-commerce Coordinator and future interns, but the expectation on day one is full ownership of the work itself.
The Director of Merchandising reports to the Sr. Director of Operations and works closely with the Director of Brand and Creative and the Director of Sales to align merchandise with brand, revenue, and fan experience goals.
Gameday retail is the engine of the merchandise business and the large majority of merchandise revenue. This role owns it completely.
- Oversee all day to day merchandise operations across arena retail, storage, and gameday point of sale.
Set up, staff, and run the gameday retail operation, confirming every location is stocked, priced, and ready before doors open.
Maintain professional, organized, fan focused retail spaces that reflect the brand standard.
Run post game resets, counts, and reconciliation so every gameday closes clean.
Manage the Shopify storefront end to end, including product listings, launches, promotions, and pricing.
Own online order fulfillment, shipping logistics, and customer service response times.
Keep the online catalog clean and current, with merchandise cleanly separated from ticketing, fundraising, and fee items so product reporting stays accurate.
Coordinate online exclusives, presales, and drops that extend revenue beyond the building.
Maintain accurate inventory systems, regular audits, product organization, and storage standards across all locations.
Coordinate merchandise ordering, vendor communication, artwork approvals, product development, and replenishment.
Manage receiving, counts, and shrink control so the numbers can be trusted.
Build and document the inventory processes a future coordinator will run.
Develop revenue generating strategies including promotions, limited drops, seasonal campaigns, and specialty collections.
Analyze sales trends, pricing, and inventory performance to maximize revenue and avoid dead stock.
Own the merchandise calendar across the full year, from offseason audits and product development through preseason prep, season launch, peak season campaigns, playoffs, and postseason resets.
Assist leadership with merchandise planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
Manage specialty and collectible inventory including signed memorabilia, specialty jerseys, and limited edition products.
Coordinate merchandise support for auctions, raffles, and fundraising initiatives, including jersey auctions tied to theme nights.
Support events, sponsor activations, and appearances with the right product in the right place.
Maintain accurate financial documentation, invoices, operational records, and merchandise reporting systems.
Deliver a weekly merch rundown to the Sr. Director of Operations: gameday sell through and point of sale totals, online orders and fulfillment status, top sellers, and low stock or reorder flags ahead of the next three home games.
Deliver a monthly merch snapshot: revenue across arena retail and online with month over month and season over season comparisons, top and bottom movers, a dead stock and margin read, and a short written summary.
Keep one single source of truth for merchandise numbers, with definitions every leader understands, and present the rundown live in the weekly leadership rhythm.
Keep department records organized enough that another team member could step in and find anything.
- Document standards, processes, and playbooks so the operation scales beyond one person.
As volume justifies, assist in hiring, onboarding, and training a Retail and E-commerce Coordinator and future interns.
Train and direct gameday retail staff and volunteers during the season.
Partner with the Director of Brand and Creative on retail launches, product photography, store creative, and merchandise drops tied to campaigns and theme nights.
Partner with the Director of Sales on group offers, season ticket holder merchandise, and premium gifting.
Coordinate with the Group Sales Manager on gameday timing, promotions, and in bowl activations that touch retail.
Represent the merchandise department in organizational planning and weekly leadership rhythms.
Proven experience in retail operations, merchandising, or e-commerce, ideally in sports or entertainment.
Strong hands on skills across inventory systems, point of sale, and Shopify or comparable platforms.
Comfortable carrying the full operational load while building the systems a future team will run.
Confident running gameday retail in a live, fast moving environment.
Strong organizational, communication, and customer service skills.
Comfortable working nights, weekends, and holidays during the season.
Able to lift and move merchandise inventory as needed.
Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Sports or entertainment retail and gameday merchandise operations
Shopify or comparable e-commerce platform management
Vendor sourcing, product development, and artwork approval workflows
Specialty, collectible, and fundraising merchandise programs
Retail analytics, pricing strategy, and inventory forecasting
Event and promotion coordination
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Salaried, full-time position.
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Available medical benefits include major medical, telehealth, dental, and vision.
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Position available immediately.
The responsibilities outlined above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed in this role and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. Additional responsibilities may be assigned by organizational leadership as business needs evolve.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
