Curated Merchant

As a Curated Merchant, you will develop, execute and drive assortment strategies for your product category. Your ranges will become our “Wayfair Verified" (Wayfair’s super set of products that capture our highest % of revenue). You will influence how curated product ranges come to life across all Wayfair marketing channels (print, digital and social), ensuring accurate product representation and appropriate shelf placement. You will foster strong cross functional relationships to ensure all strategies and goals are achieved, acting as the representative of the customer in strategic decisions on product placement. You will collaborate with Brand Management, Category Management, Marketing, Analytics & Operations, and external Suppliers to ensure the strategic vision is executed all the way to the customer. Leveraging data-driven qualitative and quantitative insights, you'll make a direct impact on overall sales, Wayfair share gains, and empower customers to create a home just right for them. 

What you'll do on any given day as a Curated Merchant...

As a Curated Merchant, you will be executing against our ambitious goals to shape our future curation strategy.  You will gain a deep understanding of the competitive market for your category. Leveraging this insight to build, curate, and maintain a category assortment strategy for “Wayfair Verified” items, developing a shelf space plan and actively managing and iterating our product offering. Ultimately, you will decide which products will be highlighted and amplified across all marketing channels with crisp business justification and robust alignment with key stakeholders. You will support the relationship with cross-functional partners in Category Management, Promotion Operations, Marketing, Brand, Creative, Merchandising Operations, Analytics and External Suppliers in order to shape and solidify the direction of your category. You will ensure it is competitive in both product and price.  You will know our customer’s needs better than anyone else and are constantly thinking about what tomorrow’s best sellers will be to continue to surprise and delight our target market.

Your success requires tenacity, agility, speed, an analytical mindset, collaboration, influence, and a competitive spirit. You'll use your executive presence to work with and influence stakeholders at all levels and navigate interesting, complex assortment challenges. You will own the performance results though regularly monitoring assortment health though various KPIs and OKRs.

What You’ll Do 

• Build and maintain category assortment strategies, inclusive of developing a shelf space plan and actively selecting, developing and iterating on the product offering
• Identify opportunities for category growth, utilizing competitive analysis, trend research, and internal performance monitoring as data points
• Partner closely with Category Management, Suppliers, Creative, Marketing, Analytics and Brand Management to determine how best to bring the selection to life in both digital and print
• Maintain a close pulse on trends and customer needs to identify new assortment opportunities.  Partner with category management and suppliers when curating the line plan to find products that deliver compelling newness and tomorrow’s best sellers.
• Own the financial outcomes for the performance of the products you placed on the premium shelf spaces.  Regularly assess performance and revise assortment and shelf space allocation strategy as needed.  
• Coach & mentor Junior Merchants who will support category ownership 
• Domestic Travel [4x / month] to our QC & Video Studio operation to ensure product vision is executed accurately
• International Travel [1-5x / year] Attend industry trade shows relevant to your categories to partner with strategic suppliers and further optimize our catalogue    

Who You Are

• 4-6 years experience within a retail and/or omni-channel buying role with demonstrated growth trajectory of P&L size and scope of category/team responsibility  
• Experience buying trend-driven categories, curating assortments from a wide range of vendors and classifications, and developing compelling assortment presentations are all highly preferred.
• Strong ability to analyze data and think critically, understand and interpret performance trends, and apply learnings to the business  
• Strong creative sense, elevated taste level, and love of product.  A genuine passion for industry trends, product design, and home decorating is a plus.
• Excellent communication/persuasion skills and ability to influence internal and external stakeholders to align behind and execute against a common goal
• Capable of thriving in a high-growth environment in which defining clarity amidst ambiguity and operating in “scrappy start-up building mode” are everyday activities.  Demonstrated experience piloting and implementing new processes and hiring/staffing new teams are a plus.
• Self-starter motivated by the potential to define a creative and strategic vision and have an outsized impact within a team and company
• Ability to work from Wayfair’s London office 3 days per week, Wayfair’s Verified Studio 1 day per week in Birmingham &  1 day a week per week remote. Travel for competitor diligence & trade shows.