Director of Merchandising

Job Description

As Director of Merchandising at Balsam Brands, you will lead and execute the strategic direction of merchandising plans across a portfolio of high-volume, shelf-based product categories. You will play a critical role in advancing our growth in the mass market retail landscape, bringing deep expertise in assortment strategy, retail packaging, and shelf presentation to ensure our products resonate with a broad customer base. In this highly cross-functional role, you’ll collaborate closely with Product Development, Inventory Planning, Marketing and Sales to drive commercial success and deliver on our long-term category vision.

This full-time position reports to the VP of Merchandising and is expected to work in a hybrid model, which currently includes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in our Burlingame and Redwood City offices.

What you’ll do:

• Set the strategic vision and category growth roadmap for key product areas, with full accountability for achieving sales, margin, and volume targets across mass market retail channels
• Architect holistic assortment strategies, including good-better-best frameworks and shelf-level execution plans, to drive customer relevance and differentiation in big box retail environments
• Synthesize consumer insights, market intelligence, and performance data to shape long-range merchandising strategies and guide investment decisions at the category level
• Partner with Product Development leadership to define and prioritize SKU mix, packaging formats, and merchandising displays optimized for mass market success and operational scalability
• Lead competitive and trend analyses to proactively inform pricing architecture, racking solutions, and promotional strategies, ensuring commercial viability and brand positioning
• Develop strategic vendor partnerships, owning negotiations and contract oversight to drive cost optimization, innovation, and long-term value creation across high-volume programs
• Influence inventory strategy in partnership with Planning, Operations and Sales to ensure alignment between demand forecasts, production cycles, and sell-through expectations in large-scale retail channels
• Support the development and approval of planograms, shelf schematics, and rack layouts in partnership with account managers, ensuring alignment with shopper behavior, operational constraints, and partner needs
• Own and facilitate critical merchandising touchpoints, including high-impact line reviews, buyer meetings, and executive-level sales presentations to secure placement and partnership growth
• Represent the merchandising function externally, attending trade shows, vendor visits, and in-store reviews to identify emerging trends, assess product readiness, and foster industry connections

What you bring to the table:

• 14+ years of progressive experience in merchandising, category management, or buying, with a strong background in big box retail or CPG environments and a track record of driving commercial growth at scale
• Expert-level understanding of mass market consumer behavior, retail shelf strategy, and high-volume product merchandising across physical and omnichannel environments
• Demonstrated success in leading the development and execution of comprehensive assortment strategies, including good-better-best frameworks and portfolio optimization
• Strategic expertise in shelf presentation and product packaging, including deep experience with planogramming, rack layouts, and customer-facing merchandising systems
• Proven ability to lead high-stakes vendor negotiations and cost management initiatives, delivering sustainable margin improvement and operational efficiency
• Advanced analytical and financial acumen, with fluency in retail performance metrics, pricing architecture, forecasting models, and inventory planning
• Strong trend forecasting skills, with the ability to synthesize data, market signals, and industry insights to shape forward-looking merchandising strategies
• Proficient in business tools including Excel, PowerPoint, and merchandising analytics platforms, with the ability to create compelling business cases and data-backed recommendations
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree in a related field preferred

About Us: Balsam Brands is a global, omnichannel retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. We strive for excellence in everything we do and present a unique opportunity for those seeking to have a meaningful impact in a people-first company that values relationship building, authenticity, and doing the right thing. We have steadily growing teams in Boise, the Bay Area, Dublin, the Philippines, Canada, and Mexico.  

The company's mission is to create joy together. We empower our team and