Associate Merchant

Job Posting

Preferred Qualifications : Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or related field. MBA is a plus but not required. Plus seven years of experience in merchandising / category management, business development, customer experience strategy or assortment & pricing strategy. Experience working highly cross-functionally on enterprise-level initiatives. Strong analytical skills with experience in financial modeling, forecasting, and performance analysis. Proficient in SQL and / or Snowflake for data querying, analysis, and reporting. Comfortable working with large data sets and tools like Excel, Tableau, or Power BI. Strong ability to distill complex concepts into clear, compelling visual narratives using PowerPoint. Familiarity with assortment planning, pricing strategy, and supplier negotiations. Comfortable working in ambiguous or evolving business contexts.

Job Summary

Responsible for establishing merchandising objectives for a category or categories of merchandise. Drive the financial planning process and manage the process from recommending targets to pricing optimization. Drive the assortment planning process, from business performance review to supplier negotiations. Create operational plans used in SOAR execution. Oversee the supplier management strategy and works to source and rationalize suppliers to meet business needs. Responsible for approximately $150 million in business dollars.

Major Tasks, Responsibilities, and Key Accountabilities

Acts as primary decision maker on merchandising and finance operational issues. Utilizes current market data (industry / competitive) to drive merchandising strategy. Determines consumers to target for a specific category and collaboratively decides the strategic direction of the business segment. Executes and manages visual merchandising, new concept development, marketing / catalog, vendor services, inventory management, and supply chain issues. Responsible for developing and executing plan to meet annual financial goals which include Sales Performance, Category Profitability and Category Inventory Productivity. Makes decisions and manages supplier strategy (e.g. import vs. domestic, national vs. proprietary). Reviews the supplier portfolio on an ongoing basis to ensure suppliers maintain the bandwidth to support changing needs. Works with key functions to source new suppliers. Manages projects within a business function (e.g. capital). Acts as the project champion and assists with setting the overall direction and defining the measures of success.

Nature and Scope

Solutions require analysis and investigation. Achieves planned results by decisions and actions based on professional methods, business principles, and practical experience. Manages a group or team of professional individual contributors and / or indirectly supervises support staff.

Work Environment

Located in a comfortable indoor area. Any unpleasant conditions would be infrequent and not objectionable. Most of the time is spent sitting in a comfortable position and there is frequent opportunity to move about. On rare occasions there may be a need to move or lift light articles. Typically requires overnight travel 5% to 20% of the time.

Education and Experience

Typically requires BS / BA in a related discipline. Generally 7+ years of experience in a related field. May require certification. Advanced degree may offset less experience in some disciplines.

Our Goals for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to creating a culture that promotes equity, respect, and advocacy for every HD Supply associate. We value the diversity of our people.

Equal Employment Opportunity

HD Supply is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status. HD Supply is an Equal Opportunity Minority / Female / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veteran and Affirmative Action Employer. HD Supply considers for employment and hires qualified candidates without regard to age, race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law.