VP, Divisional Merchandise Manager (Tops)

Maurices•Duluth, MN

27d•Hybrid

About The Position

The VP, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Tops is a senior omnichannel merchandising leader responsible for the vision, strategy, and performance of maurices’ Tops business. The role combines product expertise, fashion instinct, customer and market insight, financial acumen, and disciplined execution to create differentiated assortments and deliver long-term growth and in-season results. The DMM leads a large merchandising organization, develops talent and succession, and owns divisional sales, margin, inventory, and profitability goals. As a brand ambassador and cross-functional partner, the leader works with teams including Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, Product Management & Sourcing, Marketing, Design, and Stores to deliver a cohesive customer experience and support broader company priorities. The role is based at the corporate office in Duluth, Minnesota. Corporate associates work in the office at least three days per week under the Smart Work program, with remote flexibility guided by business needs. Travel may be required as needed. The position is regular, full-time, with an annual salary range of $175,000–$220,000 and eligibility for annual incentive compensation based on company performance.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive merchandising experience, including significant leadership experience with a successful specialty, fashion, or apparel retailer.
Demonstrated success owning and growing large, high-volume categories or businesses.
Significant experience leading large teams and developing leaders, with a record of building merchant talent and succession pipelines.
Proven success developing customer-led assortments and translating trends into commercially successful products.
Exceptional product eye and strong fashion aesthetic.
Deep understanding of the women’s apparel and tops market, including trends, silhouettes, fabrications, color, outfitting, pricing, and competitive dynamics.
Strong merchant instinct, analytical capability, and financial acumen.
Ability to articulate a clear product vision and inspire teams and cross-functional partners.
Strong understanding of customers and ability to translate customer needs into commercially successful assortments.
Proven ability to lead large, complex teams through change and evolving business priorities.
Ability to coach established and emerging leaders.
Strong collaboration and influence, with exceptional communication and relationship-building skills.
Strategic thinking and ability to move between enterprise strategy, category strategy, and product-level decisions.
Decisiveness, agility, and comfort making informed decisions in a fast-moving retail environment.
Ability to travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Business, Fashion, or a related field preferred.
Deep experience merchandising tops or closely related women’s apparel categories strongly preferred.
Experience managing complex businesses across multiple channels strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the product vision and merchandising strategy for the Tops division, ensuring assortments are compelling, differentiated, customer-led, and aligned with the maurices brand.
Serve as the division’s product authority, applying expertise in tops, fashion, trends, color, silhouette, fabrication, fit, and key-item development.
Lead the team in translating customer insights, market intelligence, competitive trends, and business performance into seasonal concepts and assortments.
Identify emerging trends and category opportunities while maintaining a clear understanding of the maurices customer.
Drive category strategies across the Tops portfolio, identifying opportunities to grow, maintain, evolve, or reposition the business.
Partner with Design and Sourcing to influence product development from concept through execution and balance creative vision with financial objectives.
Balance fashion innovation and newness with proven volume drivers and core businesses.
Own divisional strategy and financial performance, delivering sales, margin, inventory, and profitability goals.
Develop short- and long-term strategies for sustainable growth and lead in-season management to maximize sales, margin, and inventory productivity.
Use data, customer insights, competitive intelligence, and merchant judgment to make decisions and proactively adapt to changes in the customer, marketplace, and business.
Consider how divisional decisions affect the broader assortment, customer experience, and company.
Lead, inspire, and develop a large merchandising organization, establishing vision, priorities, expectations, and accountability.
Develop the team’s product expertise, business acumen, decision-making, and leadership skills; build merchant talent and succession pipelines.
Set high standards for product and performance while empowering teams to challenge, innovate, and act; lead through leaders with clear objectives, delegation, and ownership.
Model maurices’ values and People First mindset, and foster a customer-focused, collaborative, curious, agile, and accountable culture.
Serve as a trusted voice on product and customer strategy, influencing decisions beyond the Tops division.
Build cross-functional partnerships across Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, Product Management & Sourcing, Marketing, and Stores.
Balance divisional needs with company priorities and enterprise goals, and contribute ideas and perspective on customers, products, and the competitive landscape.
Travel as needed.

Benefits

Choice of three medical plans, including PPO and High-Deductible options; High-Deductible plans offer a Health Savings Account with an employer contribution.
Dental coverage.
Vision coverage.
Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.
Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity coverage.
Voluntary Life, Spouse, and Child Life Insurance.
Long-Term Disability coverage.
Basic Life Insurance at no cost to associates.
Short-Term Disability coverage at no cost to associates.
Access to the Personify Health wellbeing platform.
Employee Assistance Program for associates and their families.
401(k) eligibility after six months, with an immediately vested Safe Harbor matching contribution.
Tuition Assistance program after one year of employment.
PTO benefits, including vacation, annual sick time awards, and holiday pay.
Two weeks of New Parent Leave for birth, adoption, or foster placement.
Continuous learning opportunities.
Associate Resource Groups.
Free access to a state-of-the-art onsite Fitness Facility for Duluth-based associates.
Annual incentive compensation based on company performance.