CATEGORY MANAGER (BAGS & ACCESSORIES) 9 MONTH FTC

Herschel Supply Co.•Vancouver, BC

33d•$81,000 - $91,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Manager is a key driver of commercial success, transforming seasonal line plans into a high-performing, market-ready assortment. You’ll refine the product mix with precision - ensuring every SKU in your category is commercially strong, strategically priced for global markets, and positioned across channels to achieve financial targets. Reporting to the Merchandising Director, you’ll own the physical expression of your categories from end to end. You’ll make final decisions on assortment selection (style, colour, tiering), lead pricing strategy (including off-MAP and promotional pricing), and oversee the full product lifecycle - from creating SKUs in PLM to recommending in-season markdowns or re-buys driven by performance data. We are a community of creators who believe the best work happens when we’re together; that’s why we collaborate in-person Monday through Thursday, with Friday being flexible to work from home. This is a 9 month fixed term contract position.

Requirements

3–5 years of experience in Category Management / Merchandising with a proven ability to grow a product category.
Fashion, Home Textiles or Hardgoods experience is essential
Post-secondary education in Business or Fashion Merchandising is an asset.
Skilled in Assortment Planning and Market Analysis.
Highly proficient in Excel and Google Sheets for managing line lists.
Experience with global pricing schemas and multi-currency environments.
Strong commercial eye - balancing data, intuition, and aesthetic.
Excellent cross-functional communication and alignment skills.
Confident working under pressure to solve problems quickly.
Experience with PLM and ERP systems
Some familiarity with Power BI.
Comfortable with Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and project management tools (e.g., monday.com).

Nice To Haves

Category expertise in Bags, Apparel, or Headwear would be advantageous
Experience across both Wholesale and DTC channels.

Responsibilities

Execute seasonal line plan development, including SKU counts, carryover strategy, cancellations, and newness - always aligned with the founder’s product vision and long-term assortment strategy.
Build and maintain the line list as the foundation for seasonal assortment planning and cross-functional visibility.
Collaborate closely with Design to finalize new silhouettes, feature sets, and product direction.
Contribute to documenting best practices and building Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Create and maintain new styles in PLM, including style codes, naming conventions, retail pricing, and product hierarchy.
Partner with Product Development and Design through prototype rounds to ensure cost targets, margin requirements, and commercial viability are met.
Build the seasonal price list for new and carryover SKUs for final approval and ensure timely, accurate price uploads.
Recommend markdown strategies and end-of-life actions, and lead system execution.
Lead post-mortem analysis for your categories - digging into performance, uncovering gaps, highlighting risks, and identifying opportunities for future seasons.
Support Sales during sell-in with product insights and pricing clarity.
Partner with Visual Merchandising to shape retail assortments by category.
Finalize compatible SKU selection for Retail and Ecommerce and share with Planning to inform buy strategies.
Review buy files with Planning, addressing MOQs, surcharges, cancellations, and commercial considerations.
Analyze category-level performance - including sell-through, inventory turns, and regional trends - and share insights that influence cross-functional decisions.
Support ongoing performance reviews with deep sales and inventory analysis.
Recommend promotional pricing for key commercial events (BFCM, Boxing Week, Luggage Sale), including system setup and validation.