Vice President of Merchandising

Wine Enthusiast•Valhalla, NY

63d•$190,000 - $220,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Wine Enthusiast Companies, the leading full-service provider of innovative products for the wine lifestyle, is creating a new role of Vice President of Merchandising, and seeking a design visionary to lead our strategy to new heights. As our VP of Merchandising, you will have an eye for quality and style, while listening to the needs of our consumer. Reporting directly to the President, you will play a critical role in defining and implementing the product roadmap, fostering innovation, and ensuring alignment with the company's strategic objectives. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact and shape the future of our products in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. A love of wine and the lifestyle around it is essential for the role. You must be an approachable leader, capable of setting a strategy while collaborating well across Marketing, Finance, Operations, Customer and Content. You love helping to tell a legacy brand story. Product is at the heart of Wine Enthusiast and you’ll make it your career goal to underline that, while building on the foundation of our 44+ year strong family business. Your primary focus will be on steering the ship of product development, enhancing our Accessories line while also maintaining an emphasis on Wine Cellars, Racking, Furniture, and Accessories.

Requirements

Over 5 years of experience in industrial design, product design, and development, or manufacturing.
Extensive experience in multi-channel direct-to-consumer commerce businesses, with a proven track record of driving top and bottom-line results.
Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate teams toward ambitious goals, coupled with strong negotiation skills and a customer-centric mindset.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex ideas with clarity and conviction.
Strong financial and technical analytical skills, coupled with a resourceful, hands-on approach and meticulous attention to detail.
Proven ability to cultivate strong cross-functional relationships and work collaboratively across diverse teams.

Nice To Haves

Background in refrigeration or electronics manufacturing
Familiarity with EOS (Enterprise Operating System)
Netsuite experience

Responsibilities

Setting a vision for product array and assortment while leading our merchants by vertical with an unwavering focus on product design.
Managing the product lifecycle from concept to launch, including go-to-market strategies, pricing, and positioning.
Leading a team of product category managers to deliver high-quality products on time and within budget.
Creating sales goals by product and holding the team accountable to how those goals help us meet overall Revenue goals
Cultivate relationships with manufacturing sources and explore new partnerships as needed to fuel our product innovation.
Overseeing packaging design and QA with the Creative and Operations teams.
Conducting consistent competitive research on market trends, identifying gaps and ensuring we are best-of-breed
Being the Voice of the Customer, steadfastly focused on quality control and tracking opportunity areas by item.
Oversee and direct the Commerce Creative team, driving visual storytelling across all brand touch points. Provide leadership in photo art direction, print catalog production, and digital asset creation to ensure consistent, premium brand presentation that elevates product perception and drives consumer engagement.