Director, Retail

Gordon Brothers•Boston, MA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Gordon Brothers has helped companies unlock the potential of their assets since 1903. Our solutions-oriented approach combined with over 120 years of industry knowledge enables clients to get the most value from their assets with tailored solutions across asset services, asset lending and financing, and asset trading. Leveraging our deep expertise in retail, industrial, brands and real estate, we work closely with clients globally to determine the value of, lend against, or buy and sell their assets to help them achieve their business goals. At Gordon Brothers, we foster a culture of collaboration and creativity to find unique and innovative solutions for our clients. We take pride in fostering an engaging, inclusive culture and encouraging employees to bring new ideas to the table, develop their skills, and build dynamic and fulfilling careers. This role leads the merchant execution work across retail disposition projects, including store closing sales, inventory monetization, and merchandise assortment strategy. The merchant is responsible for translating due diligence and valuation work into actionable liquidation and sales strategies that maximize recovery value. This role is based in the Boston office (or similar) and requires significant travel to client sites and stores, often on short notice.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferred
10+ years of experience in retail merchandising, wholesale, distribution, consulting, or related commercial roles
Deep understanding of retail operations, inventory dynamics, and consumer behavior
Strong knowledge of inventory valuation concepts and how merchandise performs in liquidation environments
Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office skills
Strong analytical ability paired with practical retail judgment
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to influence senior stakeholders and clients
Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
Willingness and ability to travel frequently, often on short notice

Responsibilities

Act as the on-the-ground merchandising and inventory execution lead across live retail disposition projects.
Lead on-site due diligence at client locations to assess inventory, store conditions, and merchandising opportunities.
Partner with deal teams to build and review financial and operational models that drive bidding and valuation decisions.
Translate inventory analysis into clear liquidation strategies, including assortment planning, product mix optimization, pricing, discounting, markdown strategy, sales velocity and sell-through assumptions, expense and margin impact of execution plans, and marketing and advertising strategies.
Assess client businesses, including industry positioning, competitive dynamics, inventory composition, quality, liquidity, operational efficiency, and profitability drivers.
Produce clear, structured reports summarizing findings, valuation assumptions, and recommended execution strategies.
Act as the merchant voice in cross-functional deal discussions, ensuring valuation models reflect real-world retail execution dynamics.
Source and procure incremental or “augment” inventory to support store closing events by building and managing vendor relationships, negotiating terms and pricing, selecting merchandise to improve sales performance and customer traffic, and coordinating logistics for augmentation inventory.
Support field teams during active sales events, providing real-time merchandising, pricing, advertising, and execution guidance.
Maintain relationships with external clients, vendors, and internal stakeholders across varying seniority levels.
Identify and communicate potential deal opportunities or risks across Gordon Brothers’ broader platform.