Associate Merchant - Minneapolis

TalentRemedy•Minneapolis, MN

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Merchant supports the overall performance of an assigned category or season, executing product-line business plans and helping meet company and seasonal financial goals. The role owns an assigned seasonal category and is accountable for sales and margin goals, calendar adherence, assortment, and category growth. It partners closely with Senior Merchants and the Director of Merchandising, as well as internal teams, retailers, and overseas vendors, to develop and deliver product lines that represent the brand and align with merchandising strategy and consumer and retailer needs. The Associate Merchant contributes across the product-development process, from concept and sampling through sourcing, price negotiation, and production execution. The role develops seasonal assortments and model-line summaries, coordinates milestone meetings and cross-functional deliverables, supports product presentations, and monitors in-season sales and margins. It also works with assortment planning, planning, operations, and logistics teams on SKU balance, purchase orders, production status, and timing and action plans. The position requires regular communication with vendors and may involve domestic or international travel and occasional morning or evening calls with teams in Hong Kong, China, and India. The role is hybrid, with office attendance in Minneapolis on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and work from home on Tuesday and Friday, subject to occasional business needs. The posting also describes the job as primarily on-site in Minneapolis.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required, with a focus in Merchandising or Marketing.
Minimum 2–4 years of related Merchandising or Product Development experience.
Understanding of key retail sales metrics and merchandising requirements.
Experience and knowledge of product development, overseas sourcing, manufacturing, importing, and costing.
Strong presentation and negotiation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills to build internal and external stakeholder relationships and work effectively in a team.
Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
Critical-thinking, problem-solving, organizational, and detail-oriented skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
Self-motivated, professional, organized, high-energy, and able to work as a self-starter and team player.
Ability to make occasional morning or evening calls with Hong Kong, China, and India.
Ability to commute to Minneapolis; the job is described as primarily on-site.
Ability to travel domestically or internationally, up to 10%.

Nice To Haves

NetSuite experience.
Analytical proficiency.
Demonstrated technical capacity.

Responsibilities

Use the Merchant Process to align cross-functional partners and leadership around the seasonal model line.
Work with internal teams on product concepts, branding, and seasonal assortments that support business goals, product strategy, and profitability.
Facilitate seasonal meetings and ensure key milestone deliverables are met.
Support Senior Merchants and Merchants with urgent out-of-season sales requests and opportunities, including presentations and other assigned tasks.
Monitor competitive products and trends, identify market movement, and compile and communicate findings and opportunities involving formats, colors, materials, and fabrics.
Contribute to product development from initial concept and sampling through sourcing, price negotiations, and execution, meeting timing and action deadlines.
Develop model-line summaries that communicate consumer and customer needs, deliverables, and tactical direction to cross-functional partners.
Own the model-line assortment, ensure accuracy of bills of materials and specifications, and support gross margin and category growth goals.
Present formats and creative direction across Core, Fashion, and Trend products, and partner with the Assortment Planner on SKU rankings and assortment balance.
Optimize fabric use across the seasonal line and brand portfolio.
Rationalize SKUs that do not generate sufficient gross margin or meet minimum order quantities, and create new SKUs that meet those goals.
Present and communicate seasonal product lines or categories to internal management, stakeholders, and retailers.
Communicate daily with overseas vendors through product development, pricing, sample approval, and production.
Drive strategic buying decisions and business performance for the assigned merchandise category in partnership with the Director of Merchandising.
Manage in-season business by analyzing sales and improving margins.
Coordinate with planning, operations, and logistics on purchase orders, production status, and order placement; ensure timing and action plans are used between US and Hong Kong merchants.