VP, Merchandising

Little Sleepies•Los Angeles, CA

6h•$225,000 - $250,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Little Sleepies is one of the fastest growing companies in America, according to Inc. Magazine (#1 in retail)! We make days and nights easier with super-soft yet impressively durable, thoughtfully designed products that families love. Featuring prints kids are obsessed with and fabrics parents trust, every piece is made to feel good, fit right, and get worn on repeat. We're rooted in innovation and driven by care, with our signature fabrics, Lunaluxe® and Soluxe®, custom-developed to support the way kids move, sleep, and grow — because comfort isn't just how it feels, it's how it's made. Driven by creativity, passion, and the desire to do something extraordinary, we strive to bring joy and comfort to families around the world. We're excited to be doing this, and we hope you will be too. If our mission resonates, we would love to hear from you! The VP, Merchandising is a critical executive leader responsible for defining and driving the company’s end-to-end merchandising and demand planning strategy across our evolving OMNI-channel model.Reporting directly to the CEO, this role owns the enterprise assortment strategy, category expansion, demand planning and buy optimization (OTB, inventory health, productivity), SKU rationalization, and lifecycle management, licensing partner relationships, and cross-functional alignment across Product, eCommerce, Retail, and Operations. This is a highly strategic and commercially accountable role requiring deep apparel experience and aproven track record of successfully delivering category expansion within high-growth brands.

Requirements

12–15+ years of progressive merchandising leadership within apparel.
Proven track record of successfully leading category expansion within an apparel brand.
Experience managing licensed product lines and external licensing partnerships.
Deep expertise in DTC merchandising; OMNI and wholesale experience preferred.
Ownership of OTB, demand planning, and inventory productivity at scale.
Strategic, data-driven leader with executive presence and cross-functional influence.

Responsibilities

Define and lead long-range assortment architecture aligned to company growth priorities.
Establish clear category roles, depth strategies, and SKU productivity standards.
Drive strategic expansion beyond core franchises, with focus on Newborn and Day/Play.
Identify whitespace and adjacency opportunities within apparel.
Partner closely with Product to shape a multi-year roadmap grounded in customer insight and disciplined planning.
Translate customer and market insights into scalable category growth strategies.
Lead successful introduction and scaling of new apparel categories.
Balance innovation with inventory discipline and lifecycle management
Expand penetration beyond hero categories without diluting brand equity.
Own demand planning across channels.
Lead OTB strategy and optimize buys to improve inventory turn and SKU productivity.
Strengthen forecast accuracy across new launches, replenishment, and seasonal products.
Establish clear inventory health metrics and decision frameworks.
Partner cross-functionally to ensure disciplined inventory flow and lifecycle management.
Own and lead all licensing partner relationships.
Develop licensed assortment strategies aligned to brand positioning and growth priorities.
Partner with licensors on launch calendars, category expansion opportunities, and performance reviews.
Serve as executive point of contact for licensing negotiations and strategic alignment.
Develop differentiated assortment strategies across DTC, retail, and wholesale.
Support retail expansion with thoughtful allocation and channel planning.
Ensure product strategies align with brand positioning across channels.
Partner closely with the Sr. Director of E-commerce to align assortment strategy with digital execution.
Support product launch flow, inventory visibility, and cross-sell strategy.
Ensure product prioritization and lifecycle decisions are reflected effectively in the digital experience.
Build and lead a high-performing merchandising and planning organization.
Elevate analytics, reporting cadence, and decision-making rigor.
Serve as a key thought partner to the CEO and executive leadership team.
Drive alignment across Product, Marketing, Retail, and Operations.