Why You Belong Here
At Victoria's Secret & Co, you'll join a world-leading specialty retail brand recognized globally for innovation and excellence in lingerie and fashion. You'll work alongside industry leaders to set the standard for what a retail brand can achieve, placing customers at the center of everything we do to create products and experiences that bring them joy.
We believe everyone deserves a place where they truly belong. We celebrate individuality and know that your passion, experience, and unique perspective strengthen our team and business. Here, you'll be empowered to perform, grow, and engage through unmatched opportunities to develop your skills, gain real-world experience, and learn from the best in the business.
Description
Your Role:
The Associate Merchant is responsible for directly supporting senior merchandising team members & a category of business to develop product plans in accordance with the season's strategy in a specific product category for the stores and digital channel. They may assume increased responsibility for merchandise category to deliver or exceed volume and profit goals. This position researches customer trends, product history, competitive intelligence, fashion trends, and analyzes sales.
Why You Belong Here:
At Victoria's Secret & Co, you'll join a world-leading specialty retail brand recognized globally for innovation and excellence in lingerie and fashion. You'll work alongside industry leaders to set the standard for what a retail brand can achieve, placing customers at the center of everything we do to create products and experiences that bring them joy.
We believe everyone deserves a place where they truly belong. We celebrate individuality and know that your passion, experience, and unique perspective strengthen our team and business. Here, you'll be empowered to perform, grow, and engage through unmatched opportunities to develop your skills, gain real-world experience, and learn from the best in the business.
Your Impact:
System Management & Execution
- Accountable for accuracy of product detail through excellent execution and management of assortment documentation and communication, with emphasis on MAT tool execution
Customer
- Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn Customer insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy
- Be the voice of the customer through store visits/travel, market distortions, and new product launches
- Be in or communicating with stores on a weekly basis to gain customer feedback and business insights
- Understand the customer's lifestyle by staying on top of trends, social media, and pop culture as it specifically relates to the customer
- Utilize customer insights to support the evolution of the product to continue to build an emotional connection with the customer
- Lead competitive patterning (i.e., focus groups, share of drawer, campus visits, etc. in order to understand the current competition/market trends and influence product strategy while making business recommendations
Product
- Consistently demonstrate an ability to turn product insight into actionable recommendations as it relates to assortment strategy and influence the evolution of potential new categories to fill customer's needs
- Lead key meeting prep with sample availability, style & color ranking, deck preparation, and ad hoc requests and analysis, always staying agile and flexible
- Responsible for ongoing trend analysis and reporting, inclusive of competitive landscape & competitive patterning
- Support ideation and execution of a robust testing agenda to identify and unlock future growth opportunities
Financial
- Understand financial parameters and applications needed to drive category results
- Leverage and analyze core financial reporting tools necessary to read and provide business insights (i.e. color report, placemats
- Providing style and collection level insights as to what is working and not working within the assortment and propose actions based on insights
- Understanding and bringing attention to channel-specific selling nuances within the assortment
- Remain curious about category financials and performance while seeking to understand and apply metrics in regards to product performance
- Partners with Merchandise Planning on seasonal category strategies
Collaboration & Relationship-Building
- Lead and demonstrate strong cross-functional partnerships with clear and accurate communication while demonstrating company values
- Actively participate in weekly cross functional meetings and calls
- Relationship building by demonstrating corporate culture & values of inclusivity, open-mindedness, collaboration, and positive intent
- Lead and demonstrate company values of Love the Customer, Passion with Purpose, Better Together, DEI is Everything
- Consistently react with urgency while comprehending overall strategy
Talent
- Identify and regularly meet with an internal mentor
- Responsible for driving own development plan in partnership with leader
- Actively seek and take action on feedback from all levels to enable growth and development in role
- Actively participates in the selection, on-boarding and development of Assistant Merchants
- May indirectly supervise and coach the Assistant Merchant to achieve performance objectives
Click here for benefit details related to this position.
Minimum Salary: $81,600.00
Maximum Salary: $107,100.00
VS&Co provides a range of compensation for this role as shown. Your actual salary will be determined by a number of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic region, or other relevant factors.
Qualifications
Your Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business Administration or relevant area
- 2-4 years of experience in merchandising or relevant experience
- Strong understanding of vertically integrated retail operations
- Broad-based business acumen with the potential to grow to the Merchant level
- High intelligence with a true entrepreneurial risk mentality, strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
- Acute sense of brand and customer intimacy
- Acute fashion sense with proven talent to envision and interpret fashion trends
- Proficient in conflict management and problem-solving
- Exceptional ability to bridge and enhance cooperative working relationships
- Strong organizational skills
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize
- Demonstrated ability in communication, presentation, negotiating and influencing skills
- Ability to lead and inspire with unquestionable integrity and trust
- Systems and computer proficiency (MS Office, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel
We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws. Please see links: California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Philadelphia Fair Chance Law, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance
An equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in hiring or terms and conditions of employment because of an individual's race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected category recognized by state, federal or local laws. We only hire individuals authorized for employment in the United States.