International Associate Merchant

Ace Hardware • Panama City, FL

72d

About The Position

The International Associate Merchant is responsible for all aspects of Ace International assortment strategy, development, and execution through to retail for a respective category. This responsibility spans both B2C and B2B customer types. The position provides leadership within the organization via a thorough understanding of the competitive marketplace and trends, opportunities for the different Ace International retailers and greenfield franchisees to grow via differentiated assortment and ability to articulate and drive an action plan to execute. The International Associate Merchant role is the core of driving the company's promise of delivering consumer relevant, high quality, differentiated, localized assortments to Ace International retailers and greenfield franchisees at the lowest cost.

Requirements

• Holds a Bachelor's degree (preferably in Merchandising or Business) or has equivalent work experience.
• Has 5+ years of business experience, including at least 2 years managing product categories.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Experienced in solving problems, making decisions, and managing multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrates versatility in shifting category responsibilities and adapting to changing business needs.
• Willing and able to travel up to 25%.

Nice To Haves

• Results-oriented, with a strong ability to meet and exceed goals while adapting to changing trends and business variables.
• Demonstrates leadership across the organization, vendors, and retailers, involving others to gain support and commitment.
• Possesses superior negotiation skills, leveraging business drivers and company scale to achieve favorable outcomes.
• Communicates clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to present strategies and updates to various stakeholders.
• Shows urgency and initiative in solving problems and driving work to completion.
• Highly creative, flexible, and adaptable, with strong follow-through on initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership within the organization by applying a thorough understanding of his/her product, the competitive landscape, consumer demands, and industry trends.
• Controls the omni channel inbound product strategy and works cross-functionally (RDC, RSC, USDS, FDM) to deliver outbound results.
• Is accountable for all aspects of the assortment strategy, from ideation to development through to retail execution.
• Articulates a clear strategic plan and drives it to execution.
• Creates opportunities for Ace International retailers and greenfield franchisees to grow bottom-line profits by lowering cost of goods, driving top line sales, and delivering consumer-relevant differentiated assortments.
• Communicates clear vision for the enterprise and identifies opportunities within strategic planning process to grow respective category in terms of sales and gross profit.
• Drives strategy and delivers a strategic plan that earns leadership approval. Revisit throughout the year to report progress and shifts in execution.
• Manage category growth plan for the different international retailers, while leveraging the supply channels and achieving SKU productivity goals.
• Manage complex categories and execution (Level 3 POG) requiring cross-functional support.
• Seeks, finds, and takes calculated, bold moves that lead to transformational (step-change) business change/improvement.
• Understand and drive regional needs of category and build into category deliverables on an ongoing basis.
• Determine category selection and goals for international assortments.
• Drive the private label strategy for the category.
• Collaborate with domestic merchants and AGD Sourcing team to deliver cost out savings and leverage volume and scale for international retailers.
• Determine vendor selection and lead all negotiations.
• Unlock brand distribution rights for Ace International.
• Lead wholesale and retail assortment.
• Lead merchandising and marketing aides' development.
• Maximize category wholesale margin.
• Plan and negotiate all vendor marketing assessments.
• Develop promotional events across all media to increase awareness and wholesale sales.
• Identify promotional items, negotiate pricing and terms, and create retail execution strategies.
• Oversee all promotional documentation, including item submissions, pricing targets, correction notices, and ad proofing.
• Conduct visits to international retailers and stores to strengthen relationships and gather insights.
• Communicate new programs, changes, and issue resolutions effectively.
• Coordinate with sales and customer service teams on category-related communications.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Select vendors for the semi-annual convention and plan all related programs, including drop ship forms, Power Buys, Savings Showcase, and New Arrivals.
• Design and execute the merchant area theme for the assigned category.
• Assist in diagnosing and resolving vendor service issues.
• Assist in inventory planning for promotional items.
• Manage and grow wholesale product gross profit rate.
• Negotiate, maintain, and manage marketing allowances.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Industry: Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees