Director, Merchandising Strategy (Hybrid)

Company Description

At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, 60+ retail stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.

Job Description

In a time of unprecedented expansion, we are seeking a Director of Merchandising Strategy to join our team. In this role, you will manage the overall product strategy across all channels of Lakeshore’s distribution, in addition to overseeing promotional strategies and supporting product recommendations. The position also requires establishing and analyzing key performance indicators and reporting performance metrics on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis. The ideal candidate has experience leading a high-performing team and expertise in the seasonal line-planning process. In addition, we are looking for someone with strong analytical skills and the ability to extract and convey meaningful trends from quantitative and qualitative data. And we’re here to help you succeed—Lakeshore recently earned its Great Place to Work® Certification™ and is proud to put its associates first. 

A day in the office looks like this: 

• Owning creation and implementation of global line plan architecture for both internal product development and external sourcing opportunities  
• Establishing Good-Better-Best pricing model to inform the global line plan architecture 
• Refining reporting to ensure clarity and actionable insights (for design and development, buying and cross-functional teams) 
• Leveraging technology and analytics to identify new and smarter ways to work within merchandising strategy pillars 
• Presenting quarterly hindsight and product category recommendations to cross-functional leadership 
• Building strong partnerships with key groups (e.g., marketing, RDD, buying, creative, merchandising operations) 
• Strategizing long- and short-term sales and growth margins across all departments and channels of distribution 
• Setting challenging and productive goals for the entire Merchandise Strategy team; fostering members’ career growth and development 

Qualifications

Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 10+ years of analytical experience in merchandise strategy and/or planning 
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel required, including v-lookups, pivot tables, logic formulas and basic macros 
• Previous experience with business intelligence and reporting tools, such as Looker, NetSuite, Google Analytics, Shopify, etc. 
• Solid grasp of retail math and inventory planning concepts 
• Strong product sense with proven experience in driving product assortments and partnering with different teams to conceive product assortments that drive business 
• A deep understanding of how to use data to drive decisions 
• Experience in building executive-level materials, and the ability to distill complex concepts and analyses into clear, easy-to-understand presentations 

Additional Information

And here’s our end of the bargain! 

• Hourly/Salary: $155,000-$165,000 with an annual bonus of up to 20%
• Excellent medical/dental and vision coverage—EPO, PPO and HSA
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution (because you will retire someday)
• Flexible benefits—choose what you like, ignore the rest
• On-site preschool for our employees’ children
• On-site employee gym for all levels/fitness needs
• Generous employee discount on products that make you smarter
• Casual dress…and we really mean it

At Lakeshore, we know our diversity makes us stronger, and when everyone feels included and valued, we all win. We strive to embrace our differences and create an intentionally diverse and inclusive community that is representative of the teachers, families and children we serve.

We know we couldn’t do the extraordinary things we’re doing without the people on our team. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of this spectacular group, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it’s a great experience to be part of. Day in and day out, we gi