Vice President of Merchandising & Strategy

Cornerstone Tree Farm • Tampa, FL

1d • $150,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Russell's Western Wear is a specialty western wear retailer operating nine stores plus ecommerce, with a strong profitable core and a clear plan to grow. We're hiring a Vice President of Merchandising & Strategy to lead the merchant function and the strategy behind our expansion — the person who owns what we buy, how it sells, and what makes a Russell's store succeed and repeat.

This is one of two senior leadership roles reporting directly to the Owner. You will partner as a co-equal peer with the Vice President of Store Operations, who leads the store organization and field execution. Together you set the direction for a growing business: you own the merchandise and growth strategy; your counterpart owns how it comes to life across the stores. This is a builder's role — you'll shape the merchant function and the team as the company scales.

Requirements

• Multi-unit specialty or apparel retail leadership with direct ownership of a merchant P&L — you've owned the whole function, not just a category.
• A track record of scaling a store footprint— ideally having built the playbook for opening locations repeatably and profitably, not just operating an existing fleet.
• Strong merchant instincts. Command of open-to-buy, assortment, allocation, and markdown discipline, with real results in margin and inventory turns.
• Command of the numbers. Fluent in unit economics and store performance; able to articulate and defend the store model and growth plan credibly to leadership and outside partners.
• A builder's mindset. Comfortable doing the work personally today and building the team as the business grows — not dependent on a large team from day one.
• People leadership. You've hired, developed, and retained merchant talent, and you can be a credible, collaborative peer to an operations leader.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in western wear, boots/apparel, or a comparable fit-sensitive specialty retail category.
• Omnichannel fluency where ecommerce supports rather than competes with stores, including store-fulfilled online models.
• Familiarity with retail systems (POS, inventory/ERP) sufficient to lead improvements in inventory data and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Buying & merchandising: Build and lead a disciplined merchant function end to end — open-to-buy planning, vendor and brand mix, seasonal flow, allocation across stores and ecommerce as one inventory pool, and markdown cadence. Drive gross margin and inventory turns across the portfolio.
• Store portfolio & expansion: Evaluate the existing store portfolio and determine the right strategy for each location, including relocations or closures where warranted. Define what a successful Russell's store looks like — site selection criteria, unit economics, build-out, and ramp — and build the playbook to open new stores predictably and profitably.
• Brand positioning: Align merchandise and brand into a coherent position, directing our marketing partners, so the customer experience stays consistent and distinctive as we grow.
• Inventory system & data: Own the accuracy and usefulness of the inventory system and the data that drives the buy, partnering with store operations, who own the physical receiving and counts, to keep the numbers trustworthy.
• Ecommerce: Direct ecommerce as a brand and customer-acquisition channel that supports the stores, with a realistic view of the margin, shipping, and fit-related dynamics of the category.
• Team building: Build the merchant, planning, and analytics bench needed to support a larger footprint, and develop the people on it.
• A strong, scalable business: Build the merchant discipline, defensible store economics, and clean operating metrics that make Russell's a demonstrably healthy and well-run business — and give leadership a clear, credible view of performance and growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed