Director, Merchandising Transformation

Office Depot•Boca Raton, FL

2d•$130,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Merchandising Transformation Director leads the redesign of how the merchandising organization plans, buys, prices, and flows product, from category strategy through the distribution center. This role is a true merchant who pairs deep category, vendor, and assortment expertise with hands-on distribution center and supply chain experience. The Director owns organization design and the implementation of new merchandising processes, partnering with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, Sales, and IT to improve margin, in-stock, inventory productivity, and speed to market.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
7+ years of progressive merchandising experience (category management, buying, planning, or pricing), including a proven record as a merchant owning P&L results.
Direct distribution center or supply chain operations experience, plus demonstrated success designing organizations and implementing new processes at scale.
Strong proficiency with MS Office (advanced Excel); experience with merchandising, planning, and replenishment systems and ERP platforms (e.g., Oracle).
Familiarity with analytics and BI tools.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, vendor negotiation, and analytical skills.
Proven ability to design organizations, lead change, and influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
Excellent executive communication and presentation skills.
Fluent in English.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred
Retail, wholesale, or B2B distribution background preferred.
Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or change management certification preferred but not required.
Experience with merchandising system implementations or ERP transformations a plus.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the multi-year merchandising transformation roadmap, translating margin, growth, and inventory goals into a prioritized portfolio of category, assortment, pricing, and vendor initiatives.
Apply merchant judgment to assortment architecture, pricing and promotion strategy, private brand, and vendor negotiations, setting standards and coaching category teams to deliver profitable growth.
Assess and redesign the merchandising organization, including roles, spans and layers, decision rights, and category team structure, and lead the transition, staffing, and capability building required to run it.
Design, pilot, and implement end-to-end merchandising processes (line review, item setup, forecasting, replenishment, markdown, and vendor management) with supporting tools and KPIs, ensuring adoption and measurable results.
Partner with DC and supply chain leaders on inventory flow, slotting, allocation, replenishment, and inbound/outbound planning to improve in-stock, turns, and cost to serve.
Own transformation budgets, timelines, and executive reporting; build change management and communication plans that drive sustained adoption across merchants, planners, and DC operations.