Category Manager, National Merchandising

Category Manager, National Merchandising

Build Your Career with Ashley Furniture- Where Innovation Meets Comfort

Who We Are:

At Ashley, inspiring the love of home is at the heart of everything we do. As the world's largest manufacturer of home furnishings, we're more thana business — we're a family driven by innovation, competitiveness, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. We persevere through challenges, push beyond the status quo, and constantly seek better ways to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Our solutions-first mindset and dedication togrowth are why Ashley remains #1 in our industry.

If you're ready to grow, you've come to the right place. With a true "Growth Mindset," Ashley Furniture invests in developing future leaders and helps every team member learn from the best in the business.

Summary:

The Category Manager – National Merchandising is responsible for developing and executing category strategies and seasonal assortment plans that maximize retail brand presence, sales performance, and profitability. This role serves as the category expert, identifying new product opportunities, optimizing existing assortments, and ensuring consistent execution across all national merchandising channels.

This position collaborates cross-functionally with product development, sourcing, planning, pricing, marketing, and visual merchandising teams to deliver trend-right, financially sound assortments

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute category strategies and seasonal assortment plans aligned with company objectives
• Serve as the category subject matter expert; optimize assortments by introducing new products and eliminating underperforming SKUs
• Build seasonal product mixes by channel, including pricing tiers, subcategory segmentation, and SKU productivity
• Present data-driven insights and actionable recommendations to leadership

Financial & Performance Management

• Analyze category performance through sales, margin, pricing, and inventory productivity metrics
• Conduct process category reviews to identify risks and opportunities
• Partner with planning and pricing teams to implement pricing strategies, including markdowns and promotional adjustments
• Drive category sales, margin expansion, and inventory efficiency

Product Development & Lifecycle Management

• Collaborate with product development and sourcing to bring trend-right, customer-focused products to market
• Manage product lifecycle from concept through launch, including merchandising strategy and campaign alignment
• Recommend product positioning, pricing architecture, and assortment expansions

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with merchandising, marketing, creative, and visual teams to execute cohesive product strategies
• Align on promotional calendars, campaign support, and go-to-market plans
• Work closely with regional merchandising and store teams to ensure effective in-store execution and feedback loops

Store & Market Insights

• Conduct store visits and engage with regional teams to gather insights on customer preferences and product performance
• Utilize feedback to refine assortments and identify growth opportunities
• Perform competitive analysis and market research to stay current on industry trends and customer expectations

Visual & Merchandising Execution

• Partner with visual merchandising teams to guide floor layout decisions and storytelling
• Support showroom setup, market preparation, and seasonal presentations
• Maintain high standards of merchandising that reflect brand positioning

Process & Timeline Management

• Ensure adherence to merchandising processes and seasonal timelines
• Support cross-functional alignment to deliver on key milestones and product launches
• Participate in major furniture markets to assess trends and evaluate product opportunities

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Merchandising, Business, Marketing, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in merchandising, category management, or retail buying
• Strong analytical skills with experience in sales, margin, and inventory analysis
• Proven ability to develop and execute category strategies
• Experience collaborating across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analysis tools

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in furniture, home goods, or retail merchandising
• Familiarity with AI-driven analytics, automation tools, or advanced forecasting systems
• Experience managing multi-channel assortments (retail, e-commerce, etc.)

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and business acumen
• Data-driven decision-making
• Product intuition and trend awareness
• Cross-functional collaboration and influence
• Execution focus and attention to detail
• Continuous improvement mindset

Work Environment:

This position is located in a climate-controlled office environment with standard lighting and moderate noise levels typical of professional workspace settings. The role primarily involves sitting at a desk for extended periods while working with computers, phones, and other office equipment. The collaborative environment includes interaction with team members and may require attendance at meetings, conference calls, and cross-departmental communications during regular business hours.

Benefits We Offer:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off; increases with years of service
• Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Tuition Assistance
• Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific)
• 401(k) and Profit Sharing
• Life Insurance

Our Core Values:

• Honesty & Integrity: Acts with transparency, discretion, and ethical judgment. Trusted to handle sensitive information and provide accurate, unbiased insights.
• Dirty Fingernail: Takes full accountability for outcomes, not just tasks. Inspects details, ensures data accuracy, and follows through to completion.
• Continuous Improvement: Actively seeks better ways to improve templates, tools, and processes. Learns from prior initiatives and embeds lessons into standard work.
• Growth & Results Focus: Understands how transformation initiatives drive growth, cost reduction, and profitability. Keeps work aligned to enterprise priorities.
• Culture of Leadership: Leads through influence, reliability, and example. Builds trust across functions and supports leaders at every level.
• Customer-Centric & Boundaryless: Works across silos for the greater good of the organization. Ensures outputs meet the needs of executives, initiative owners, and teams.
• Operational Excellence: Demonstrates strong organizational discipline, attention to detail, and the ability to translate ambiguity into clear, executable tools.