Senior Merchant

Jacent Strategic Merchandising•Cinnaminson Township, NJ

About The Position

The Senior Merchant is a senior-level consumer goods specialist who owns the commercial and product lifecycle of an own-brand category portfolio, from identifying market opportunities and briefing new products to building assortments and deciding when to exit items. The role is approximately 60% own-brand and 40% vendor-sourced, combining product development instincts with merchandising expertise. It is responsible for optimizing product mix, increasing sales and gross profit margin, managing account portfolios, developing assortment plans, conducting sales analysis, and supporting Jacent’s retail partners. The position partners hands-on with Sales, Store Operations, Space and Assortment, Distribution, Inventory Management, Product Development, and Sourcing to develop strategies and solutions that exceed sales and gross profit targets. It reports to the Director of Merchandise Buying. Responsibilities include monitoring category trends and market intelligence; partnering on new product development and vendor management; owning clip strip assortments; building the case for new inline programs; supporting go-to-market execution; managing assortments and retail accounts; and recommending pricing and pursuing margin growth through cost negotiations and product mix.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in the Toy category.
At least 8 years of experience in consumer products-related industries, such as retail, wholesale buying, or food markets.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Demonstrated experience with own-brand or private-label products and direct involvement in product development.
Advanced Excel skills, retail math fluency, and ability to build category performance models such as sell-through analyses and margin bridges.
Strong financial acumen and ability to analyze sales data and assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
Packaging and presentation sensibility, including ability to assess brand clarity, item communication, and shelf impact.
Ability to develop and maintain productive working partnerships within the company and with outside suppliers.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment; multitask and prioritize projects; and maintain attention to detail and deadlines.
Self-motivated, with a strong sense of urgency and commitment to results.
Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
Project management and proven leadership skills.
Assortment planning experience.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Three to four years of supervisory experience.

Nice To Haves

Hardlines or general merchandise experience is strongly preferred.
Experience with planogram or space planning tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

Monitor retail, social, and competitive channels for category trends and translate findings into commercially viable product opportunities.
Attend relevant industry trade shows and conferences to evaluate trends and source new items.
Partner with Product Development and Sourcing on new item creation, contributing category and consumer insight to product briefs.
Review product samples for market fit, packaging clarity, and retail readiness, and provide commercial feedback on packaging design.
Create packaging strategy briefs for brand and item clarity and partner with Product to finalize them.
Determine when to complement own-brand products with vendor-sourced items based on trends and speed to market; negotiate to meet margin and productivity goals and maintain vendor scorecards.
Own clip strip assortments across portfolio categories, including item selection, pricing, and retail account suitability.
Analyze and maintain category assortments through new item introductions, replacements, discontinuations, and pricing changes; align changes with the Go To Market process.
Present assortment performance and recommendations to the VP Merchandising in regular business reviews.
Identify own-brand categories and items with inline potential and build the commercial case for new inline programs.
Partner with project management on own-brand inline execution, providing product and assortment rationale; work with Space & Assortment Planning on ranking, adjacency, and space rationale.
Partner with the VP Merchandising on go-to-market timing, pricing, sell-in strategy, sales support materials, and RSM training information.
Work with Sales to introduce new items and develop retail account sell-in stories.
Support the VP Merchandising’s exit process for outgoing items by communicating timelines, managing inventory rundown, and coordinating with Sales.
Collaborate with Space Planning to create, update, and evaluate planograms.
Support management of an account portfolio and represent the product perspective to retailers through collaborative analysis and recommendations.
Collaborate with Customer Development and Visual Space Planning on account-specific commodity and item opportunities based on analytical observations.
Recommend retail pricing and maintain a logical pricing architecture across own-brand tiers.
Drive margin growth through cost negotiations and product mix.