Director of Merchandising

Description

Haddad is a privately held family business with over 100 years of experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the industry, Haddad Brands is the exclusive global licensee for the most iconic brands in the world, including Nike, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, Levi’s, Polo, Abercrombie and Fitch, Lacoste, and Huggies. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in design, sourcing, production, sales, marketing & distribution of premium quality children’s wear, Haddad distributes globally to 100+ countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Paris, Hilversum, Shanghai, Egypt, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Montreal. 

Overview:

The Director of Merchandising will define and oversee the strategy, vision, and execution of line planning and assortment maximization for a division or brand(s).

Key Accountabilities:

• Act as primary contact for assigned brand(s) licensee(s) to execute the vision of the brand(s) and maintain alignment and consistency in the marketplace    
• Lead and present in licensor milestone meetings and present the product accordingly    
• Effectively manage global line planning and SKU counts so that all brand, geo, company initiatives and opportunities are met    
• Oversee the development of directed assortments for each segment of distribution that align with corporate vision and ensure that retail brand presentations appropriately represent the product we sell in to capture strong retail sales    
• Guide the creation of market research on competition in relation to brand(s) and lead in the analysis to influence line development and MSRPs that will drive the business    
• Educate cross functional leadership on the competitive landscape and identify/present retail opportunities    
• Educate sales on the product strategy, merchandise assortments and recommended flow for the season    
• Partner closely with Design leadership to execute their vision while hitting retail goals. Be vocal on cross merchandised strategies to best meet all geo needs 
• Partner with Planning and Sales to develop and execute seasonal budgets and plan the merchandise flow and assortment accordingly    
• Partner with Sales to support account strategy/exclusives and ensure sales goals are met by account     
• Partner with Marketing and Integrated Marketplace leadership to ensure the Merchandising team is supporting the development of brand awareness, advertising, photo shoots and in store support    
• Recruit top talent, train, develop and motivate team members to ensure all business   needs are met    
• Develop strategy decks for licensor executives that indicate current sales, future strategies and opportunities in market    
• Own the SMU approval process    
• Special projects as assigned    

Requirements

 Required Skills/Abilities/Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business Administration or related field
• 8+ years of experience in the wholesale fashion industry
• Ability to travel as needed (up to 40%) 
• Strong communication, presentation, and organizational skills
• Ability to understand and explain the brand’s needs

Consistent in-office presence is vital to the role as it is for all Haddad Brands team members, so that we all have a full appreciation, aesthetically and tactilely, of the qualities that define our brand partners’ products and set them apart from their competitors.