Director, Site Merchandising
PetSmart
Director, Site Merchandising
PetSmart
Retailer of pet products and services
Collaborative Work Environment:
At PetSmart, teamwork and connection are core to how we thrive. This role is based at our Phoenix Home Office, with an expectation of working a minimum of four days in the office each week. In a standard work week, associates may work up to one remote “flex day” (with leader approval). Our hybrid approach is designed to foster strong collaboration while also supporting flexibility and individual success.
About the Role
The Director, Site Merchandising is responsible for defining and leading PetSmart's enterprise site merchandising strategy across all digital experiences, driving profitable growth through customer-centric merchandising, content, and discovery experiences.
This leader owns the strategic direction for category merchandising across web and mobile, ensuring customers can easily discover, evaluate, and purchase products while supporting enterprise commercial priorities. The role partners closely with Merchandising, Marketing, Product Management, Technology, UX, Analytics, and Operations to shape the future of PetSmart's digital shopping experience and influence the evolution of our omnichannel capabilities.
As a senior leader within Digital, this role is accountable for translating business objectives into scalable merchandising strategies, modernizing operating models, developing organizational capability, and delivering measurable improvements in customer experience and digital performance. The Director leads a high-performing organization of managers and individual contributors while serving as a strategic thought partner to executive leadership.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise leading digital merchandising organizations within large-scale omnichannel retailers and has a demonstrated ability to build strategy, influence enterprise decisions, and deliver transformational business results.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Strategy & Business Leadership
Define and evolve PetSmart's long-term site merchandising strategy across web and mobile, balancing customer experience, commercial priorities, and digital P&L objectives.
Own the strategic roadmap for digital product discovery, including browse, search, category experiences, promotional merchandising, and content optimization.
Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert on digital merchandising, influencing strategic initiatives that shape the future customer experience.
Digital Growth & Customer Experience
Establish merchandising strategies that improve discoverability, conversion, engagement, and customer lifetime value across digital channels.
Drive continuous optimization of browse paths, taxonomy, search experiences, product presentation, and merchandising content to improve shopping ease.
Champion customer-first thinking by leveraging qualitative and quantitative insights to continuously improve the digital shopping journey.
Balance innovation with operational excellence to deliver scalable experiences that support both digital-exclusive and omnichannel business objectives.
Organizational Leadership & Operational Excellence
Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing organization of merchandising leaders and individual contributors through clear vision, coaching, and accountability.
Establish operating models, governance, and cross-functional processes that improve execution speed, organizational alignment, and scalability.
Build effective partnerships across the enterprise, influencing without authority and aligning diverse stakeholders around common business outcomes.
Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, eliminate friction, and modernize merchandising operations through process improvements and technology enablement.
Analytics & Performance Management
Establish performance metrics and success frameworks that connect merchandising initiatives to customer outcomes and financial performance.
Guide the organization in leveraging analytics to identify trends, opportunities, and customer behaviors that inform strategic decisions.
Translate complex business insights into compelling executive-level recommendations that influence investment decisions and organizational priorities.
Foster a culture of experimentation by championing testing, measurement, and continuous optimization across digital experiences.
People Leadership
Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive organization grounded in collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional talent while creating meaningful opportunities for career growth and leadership development.
Foster a culture that encourages innovation, curiosity, ownership, and customer obsession.
Lead organizational change effectively, helping teams navigate evolving business priorities while maintaining effective engagement and performance.
Qualifications
10+ years of progressive experience leading digital merchandising, ecommerce, or digital experience organizations within a large-scale omnichannel retailer.
7+ years of experience leading and developing leaders, including managing managers and building high-performing organizations.
Demonstrated success developing enterprise strategies that deliver measurable growth across digital commerce businesses.
Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders and lead cross-functional initiatives across Merchandising, Marketing, Product, Technology, Analytics, and Operations.
Proven understanding of digital merchandising disciplines, including search, taxonomy, browse optimization, content strategy, personalization, and customer journey optimization.
Experience leveraging digital platforms, merchandising technologies, analytics, experimentation, and emerging capabilities to improve customer outcomes.
Exceptional analytical, communication, and executive storytelling skills with the ability to simplify complex information and influence decision-making.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
* This is not intended to be an all-inclusive, exhaustive list of all essential job functions for this position. PetSmart retains the right to change or assign other required job duties to this position.
Our associates are the heart of Team PetSmart. Together, we’re building the best team in retail through our values-based culture, connection, and teamwork. Our goal is to create a culture where associates learn and grow together, thrive as effective teams and challenge each other to be the best they can be.
Our home office offers outstanding amenities in a fun and rewarding workplace including:
PetSmart provides an equal opportunity for all associates and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics.
PetSmart operates a chain of retail stores and an online platform that sell pet products and provide pet services. The main offerings include pet food and supplies, along with services such as grooming, dog training, and boarding. The way it works is by direct sales through physical stores and online shopping, with added options like curbside pickup and same-day delivery, plus loyalty programs and promotional offers to encourage repeat business. What sets PetSmart apart from competitors is its combination of a wide range of products with integrated services for pet care (grooming, training, boarding) under one brand, plus convenient service options that streamline shopping and care for pets. The company aims to be a convenient, comprehensive destination for pet owners, enabling them to buy products and access pet care services in one place.
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