Head of Merchandising Operations

bp•Chicago, IL

2d•$158,000 - $275,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Our purpose is to bring together people, energy and markets to power and navigate a changing world. In a time of constant change and possibility we need new talent to pursue commercial opportunities, fueled by world-class insight and expertise. We’re always striving for more innovative digital solutions, sustainable outcomes and closer collaboration across our company and beyond, and you could be part of that too. Together we continue to grow as the world’s leading energy company! The Director of Merchandising Operations is accountable for leading the operational functions that ensure merchandising strategy translates into consistent, high-quality store execution across bp’s multi‑banner, multi‑channel retail network, including Thorntons, ampm, and TravelCenters of America (TA). The role serves as the bridge from strategy to execution—translating category and merchandising direction into store‑ready standards, setups, and routines that reliably show up at shelf across both company‑owned and franchise channels of trade, operating within a wholesale supply chain model that relies on centralized or single‑wholesaler distribution. The role operates within a global delivery and operating model, where primary leadership, decision‑making, and key commercial partners are based in the United States, supported by globally distributed execution teams. Success requires strong leadership across geographies, time zones, and operating cadences. The role does not own category strategy or P&L, nor direct accountability for enterprise transformation funding or roadmap prioritization. However, this role is ultimately accountable for whether merchandising intent is implemented correctly in stores—with material impact on in‑stock performance, sales and margin realization, customer experience, and operational risk—by ensuring initiatives are store‑ready, supply‑chain feasible, compliant, and operationally sound across a highly complex retail environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
Significant experience in retail merchandising operations, category operations, or retail enablement
Demonstrated success leading manager‑level teams in complex, multi‑unit and globally distributed retail environments
Experience operating within wholesale or centralized distribution models strongly preferred
Strong operational discipline, analytical capability, and change leadership skills
Experience supporting multi‑banner and/or franchise retail models preferred
Ability to travel 25%-50%

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise merchandising operations for item setup, pricing execution, promotions, planograms, and space standards across multiple banners and channels
Own end‑to‑end operational execution for merchandising activities spanning company‑owned and franchise formats, ensuring execution models appropriately balance standardization with controlled variation
Translate merchandising and category strategies into clear, executable operational outputs that align wholesaler capabilities, ordering models, and replenishment constraints
Ensure accuracy, timeliness, and consistency of merchandising execution across the retail network
Ensure execution plans reflect real‑world store conditions (e.g., backroom constraints, labor variability, vendor performance, ordering limitations, and space constraints), and adjust operational approaches to protect execution consistency
Establish and manage standard operating procedures, controls, and execution standards to support a multi‑banner, multi‑system merchandising environment operating through a centralized wholesale supply chain
Define, monitor, and report enterprise critical metrics related to in‑stock and on‑shelf execution, execution accuracy, quality, cycle time, compliance, and rework
Establish a closed‑loop governance model that ensures execution gaps are not only identified, but clearly owned, escalated, tracked to resolution, and communicated back to collaborators across Merchandising, Store Operations, Supply Chain, Technology, and wholesaler partners
Identify execution risks related to pricing, promotions, item integrity, and supply‑chain readiness, and implement mitigation actions to protect store operations, brand integrity, and customer trust
Own operational accountability for merchandising execution systems and data domains including item master/MDM, pricing execution, promotions, planogram/space tools, POS integration, and merchandising data governance
Ensure merchandising execution processes are fully aligned with wholesaler item files, ordering processes, lead times, and cut‑over requirements to support replenishment integrity and protect in‑stock performance
Partner closely with Supply Chain, Technology, Finance, and business teams to ensure merchandising initiatives are operationally feasible within a single‑wholesaler or centralized distribution model, without direct ownership of transformation funding or multi‑year roadmap prioritization
Ensure systems, data, and processes collectively enable scalable, controlled execution across banners, channels, and supply‑chain models
Lead and develop manager‑level teams across merchandising operations functions, including leaders and execution teams operating within a global delivery model
Establish clear role clarity, escalation paths, operating rhythms, and performance expectations across geographically distributed teams
Build engagement, capability, and accountability while maintaining strong alignment with US‑based leadership, key stakeholders, and supply‑chain partners
Ensure appropriate resourcing, workload planning, and capacity alignment to support seasonal, promotional, and banner‑specific execution needs
Act as a primary execution partner to Category Management, Store Operations, Supply Chain, Technology, Finance, and Marketing
Bridge strategic merchandising intent and operational delivery by coordinating across merchandising, wholesaler partners, and store operations
Support store and supply‑chain readiness, communications, and change management for merchandising initiatives across banners and channels
Influence outcomes through expertise, operational insight, and collaboration rather than direct strategy or investment authority
Drive continuous improvement through simplification, standardization, and automation of merchandising operations processes across a wholesale‑enabled retail model, reducing store workload and improving execution reliability
Improve speed‑to‑market and execution quality while maintaining appropriate controls in a complex, multi‑banner environment
Support enterprise initiatives related to systems modernization, data integrity, and operating model evolution
Owns prioritization and execution of merchandising operations activities within established enterprise and merchandising strategy
Makes decisions that directly impact in‑stock performance, execution consistency, operational efficiency, store readiness, and execution risk across banners and channels
Influences supply‑chain aligned execution outcomes through enablement, governance, and cross‑functional leadership rather than direct P&L, sourcing, or strategy ownership