Merchandiser

Job Summary

The Merchandiser is responsible for the creative vision, design direction, and development of client product assortments. This role translates brand strategy and market trends into compelling, commercially viable products that align with each client’s identity and customer base.

The Merchandiser owns the creative product lifecycle—from trend research and concept development through sourcing, sampling, and art execution—ensuring every product is brand-right, innovative, and ready for market.

BDA’s ideal Merchandiser is ambitious in nature, detail oriented, comfortable working in cross-functional teams, and passionate about the retail and ecommerce industry.  They are organized, strong at multi-tasking and adept at time management skills.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Merchandising, Buying, Marketing preferred, or equivalent combination of work and experience.
• Minimum 3 years of retail buying, product development, merchandising or planning experience.
• Fluency in MS Office suite including Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Custom cut and sew experience a plus.
• Experience developing custom hard goods a plus.
• Smartsheet experience a plus.
• PLM/Oracle experience a plus.

JOB SKILLS AND TRAITS

• Experience initiating, recommending, and implementing merchandise strategies.
• Strong understanding of and ability to apply market intelligence.
• Understanding of retail and the service environment.
• Experience identifying and interpreting product trends.
• Experience analyzing and applying consumer data.
• Track record of building profitable assortment plans.
• Skilled at cross functional influence.
• Experience working with accounts or retail stores to deliver profitable and relevant assortments.
• Works and communicates effectively with cross divisional leadership.
• Actively demonstrates managerial courage and is an advocate for their teams.
• Consensus building skills - Ability to persuade co-workers of the benefits of positive changes.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal skills.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in Assortment Analysis meetings and contribute to pre-assortment strategy discussion.
• Serve as a brand steward by developing deep knowledge of client guidelines, target audience, and aesthetic standards.
• Drive creative direction for graphics, embellishments, and packaging in partnership with internal design teams and external vendors.
• Ensure all art assets, decoration methods, labeling, and product details align with brand standards.
• Confidently present and articulate product concepts and creative rationale to internal and external teams influencing decision making.
• Ability to take current/future trends and translate into creative, market relevant product.
• Negotiate, build and source strategic and profitable product assortments.
• Select color standards within seasonal color stories.
• Review tech packs and lab dips for accuracy with design team and communicate approvals.
• Attend fit reviews for pre-production and TOP samples and communicate approvals or comments for updates.
• Ship development samples to client for review and approval.
• Demonstrate analytical and critical thinking and how to apply to the business.
• Run weekly merchandise status calls with clients and internal WIP meetings as needed.
• Share productivity of assortment with accounts and internal partners.
• Oversee day-to-day activities for product development ensuring on time launches.
• Responsible for areas including compliance, quality, and operational metrics (metrics including compliance, key vendor partners, product margin, etc.)
• Negotiate buying terms with suppliers (price, quantity, quality, delivery, etc.).
• Build/update product status trackers for internal/external view and ongoing management of the Assortment Plan document.

We are pleased to share the base salary range for this position is $81,000 to $90,000. If you are hired at BDA, your compensation will be determined based on factors that may include geographic location, skills, education, and experience. In addition to these factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any offer. In the spirit of pay transparency, the range listed is the full base salary range for the role and hiring at the top of the range would not be typical, in order to allow for future salary growth. The range listed is just one component of BDA’s total compensation and rewards programs, which includes: robust PTO; vacation, a paid volunteer day, holidays and summer Fridays, Benefits; medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D insurance, 401k; tuition reimbursement, mental health and financial wellness programs and professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement. Certain revenue-generating positions may be eligible for incentive compensation.