Fast-Growing, Fun, Entrepreneurial Web Company Seeks Merchandising Manager

• Location: 7900 Westpark Drive, Suite T500, McLean, Virginia 22102
• Terms: Full–Time
• Benefits: Options, health PPO, dental PPO, long and short-term disability, life insurance, immediate vesting 401K, generous personal leave, free food, parking, and t-shirts!

Role

We seek a resourceful and analytical leader with a strong sense of style and aesthetics to ensure that our product selection is successfully turning shoppers into satisfied customers. You will own this aspect of our business from selecting and launching products to tracking and analyzing results and acting accordingly. You will lead the merchandising team and report to the VP of Products & Services.

Responsibilities

As Merchandising Manager, it will be your responsibility to maintain and develop our product offering. To do so, you and your team will use various tools and information resources to research and select products based on criteria such as demand, customer satisfaction, availability, turn time, decoration compatibility and profitability. As needed, you will establish supplier relationships and work to obtain the service levels, quality, and pricing we need to be mutually successful. You will also own the product management database that controls product information, pricing and imagery on the website, including catalog pages, product listings, and sizing line-ups. Working in cooperation with your team and the Marketing team, you will need to ensure that products are well presented throughout the site and that product information is accurate and useful.

On an ongoing basis, your decision-making should be informed by data. You will actively monitor all product-related key metrics using a variety of data sources and address opportunities to improve the scope and quality of the offering, as well as understand and rectify any customer satisfaction issues. This will involve working effectively with other teams throughout the organization- including Sales/Service, Order Operations and Marketing- to gather and incorporate information and feedback regarding different kinds of customers and their preferences.

It is critical that people throughout the company understand the details of our product offering, such as decoration options and limitations, as well as production and shipping timing. Accordingly, you must ensure that your team effectively communicates such details through multiple channels including a product wiki, reference materials, newsletters and in-person training sessions.

As Merchandising Manager, you will be responsible for the overall success and health of the product team which currently includes a Product Line Coordinator primarily responsible for database management and communication, as well as a Product Imagery Coordinator responsible for the creation of all product web images. You will help identify the need for additional team members- creating and filling roles as appropriate. In this role, you will help set group and individual goals that directly support goals for this area of the business and the company as a whole, and you will need to lead your team to the successful completion of those goals. It will be your responsibility to help your direct reports develop as professionals, ensuring that they are properly challenged, motivated and satisfied by their roles.

Measures of Success

• Customer Satisfaction with product selection, including not just the raw products themselves, but also turn-times, availability, decoration options, etc.
• Customer Satisfaction with end products
• Cost effectiveness and resulting price competitiveness and profitability
• Quality and Accuracy of product presentation on the website
• Team satisfaction with product-related information/communication
• Merchandising team Overall Job Satisfaction

Qualifications

This role involves working closely with internal team members and external business partners to achieve our goals for customer satisfaction and profitability. Accordingly, the ideal candidate will be strong in the following areas:

• Minimum 2-5 years experience in apparel buying or merchandising
• Familiarity with blank products and distributors
• Track record of success as a manager
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical skills and facility with Excel
• Ability to recognize trends and opportunities and effectively address them
• Professionalism in communicating, negotiating and resolving problems with outside parties
• Ability to achieve targeted results through influence and collaboration
• Proven resourcefulness and ability to work independently
• Positive, customer-focused, results-oriented attitude

Some travel, such as attending tradeshows and visiting vendors, will be required.

To be truly successful in our fast paced, customer focused environment you must bring an enthusiasm for treating others as you would want to be treated, a strong sense of individual responsibility and an innovative mind-set.

Apply

We would love to hear from you! To apply for this role please submit a cover letter and resume to Kimberley Haver, VP of Products & Services, at jobs006@customink.com . CustomInk is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please take a few paragraphs to answer each of the following in your cover letter:

• The scale and scope of your most recent merchandising and management responsibilities.
• A description of your merchandising approach, examples of how you have applied this, and resulting business impact.
• Pick one of CustomInk's three Core Values and give a professional example of how you exhibit it.
• A summary of your compensation history.
• Availabile start date.