Senior Merchant

Jacent•Cinnaminson Township, NJ

About The Position

The Senior Merchant is a senior-level consumer goods specialist who owns the full commercial and product lifecycle of an own-brand category portfolio, from identifying market opportunities and briefing new products to developing inline programs and deciding when to exit products. The role is approximately 60% own brand and 40% vendor-sourced, combining product development thinking with merchant judgment. It optimizes product mix to increase sales and gross profit margin, manages account portfolios, develops assortment plans and sales analysis, and supports Jacent’s retail partners. The position works hands-on with cross-functional teams in sales, store operations, space and assortment, distribution, and inventory management to develop strategies and solutions that exceed sales and gross profit margin targets. It reports to the Director of Merchandise Buying.

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, and/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 comfort building category performance models, including sell-through analyses and margin bridges.
Strong analytical ability, financial acumen, and ability to assess sales data and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
Ability to assess packaging for 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 and changing environment, multitask, and prioritize projects.
Self-motivated, with critical attention to detail and deadlines.
Strong sense of urgency and commitment to results.
Ability to work effectively both on a team and independently.
Project management and proven leadership skills.
Assortment planning skills.
Strong computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
3–4 years of supervisory experience.

Nice To Haves

Planogram or space planning tools experience.
Hardlines or general merchandise experience.

Responsibilities

Monitor category trends across retail, social, and competitive channels and translate market signals into commercially viable product opportunities.
Bring market and consumer insight into new product development conversations and product briefs.
Attend relevant industry trade shows and conferences to evaluate trends, identify opportunities, and source new items.
Partner with Product Development & Sourcing on new item creation and provide category and consumer insight for product briefs.
Review product samples for market fit, packaging clarity, and retail readiness; 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 other vendors 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 products, pricing, and retail accounts.
Analyze and maintain category assortments, including new item introductions, replacements, discontinuations, and pricing; 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 products with inline potential and build the commercial case for inline programs.
Partner with project management on own-brand inline execution, providing product and assortment rationale; the Buyer handles the operational inline process.
Work with Space & Assortment Planning on ranking, adjacency, and space rationale for own-brand inline programs.
Partner with the VP Merchandising on go-to-market timing, pricing, sell-in strategy, sales support materials, and RSM training information.
Work directly with Sales to introduce new items and develop retail account sell-in stories.
Support the VP Merchandising with product exit information, including timelines, inventory rundown, and coordination with Sales.
Collaborate with Space Planning to create, update, and evaluate planograms.
Support a portfolio of accounts by presenting product perspectives to retailers through 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 logical pricing architecture across own-brand tiers.
Drive margin growth through cost negotiations and product mix.