Assortment & Retail Experience Manager — California Region

Mike's Bikes•Novato, CA

9d•$71,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Mike’s Bikes Crew as our Assortment & Retail Experience Manager — California. Mike’s Bikes is a community focused bike shop with an international reach. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional hospitality to our neighbors while also being a leading partner to the largest global brands. Every buy at Mike’s Bikes starts in the store, and this role is where it starts. The Assortment & Retail Experience Manager — California decides which SKUs each California store carries, based on its capacity, customer profile, sales history, and local opportunity. Those selections are the originating input for our regional buy and allocation. You also set the store-level inventory targets that guide our weekly allocations, fix assortment gaps, balance stock between stores in the region, and make sure store teams have the product knowledge to sell. You’ll spend most of your week on the sales floor with store managers and staff. This is a new role on our Purchasing team. Our Purchasing team runs on a Hybrid Purchasing Model. Process owners run one stage of the buying cycle end-to-end across every category and region, while specialists own a product department or a region where depth really matters. Every role reports to the Director of Purchasing, who is the single accountable owner for any shared work — so you always know who makes the call.

Requirements

Ideally 3+ years of experience in merchandising, assortment planning, buying, or multi-store retail management — bicycle or outdoor industry preferred
A strong working knowledge of bicycles and cycling gear, and an eye for how product should look on a sales floor
Experience working directly with store teams — you listen well and earn trust
Comfort with data — reading sales and inventory reports to make store-level SKU and stock decisions
Confidence using a POS system, ERP / inventory tools, and Google Workspace
Excellent communication and presentation skills, including leading training sessions
Comfortable spending 4 days a week in stores across California; valid driver’s license and reliable transportation required
Ability to read, comprehend, and explain documents such as vendor agreements, purchase orders, safety rules, operating instructions, and procedure manuals in English. Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, in English.
High mobility across the region is essential, and the employee is responsible for their own reliable transportation and commute to assigned store sites. A valid driver’s license and a clean driving record are required.

Responsibilities

Own overall seasonal assortment and brand decisions in close collaboration with your regional counterpart, acting as the direct voice of the store floor. Select SKUs and drive in-season adjustments based on local trends, sales history, and store manager input.
Identify frontline consumer trends, emerging categories, and potential new brands or products. Deliver final recommendations to the Director of Purchasing and Commercial Managers before handing off vendor onboarding.
Set store inventory levels, stock depth guidelines, and specific store needs that feed into the weekly allocations executed by Commercial & Inventory.
Spot and resolve assortment gaps quickly, monitor in-stock rates and store-level turns, and keep aged stock low across all stores in your region.
Own store-to-store transfers and inventory balancing within your region to ensure stock sits where the demand is.
Own merchandising standards, floor sets, displays, and product launches so every store is easy and exciting to shop.
Be the voice of the stores inside Purchasing — gather feedback from managers and staff and turn it into assortment decisions.
Support product and brand training for store staff, including launches, clinics, and training modules.
Partner with vendors and reps on store-level programs, visits, events, and merchandising support.
Contribute regional insight to department strategy and executive vendor negotiations.
Help drive California financial performance — revenue, margin, units, average bike price (ABP), and margin %.