Marketing / Merchandising Specialist

Role Purpose

This is an on-site role based in Nashville, TN. Travel to Global Headquarters in Bowling Green, KY required as part of on-boarding.

The Marketing Specialist supports business unit growth and profitability by helping translate brand, product and customer priorities into well-executed marketing programs. This role drives results by coordinating cross-functional work, supporting product and creative execution, analyzing business performance, and developing recommendations that improve project delivery, consumer engagement, retailer readiness, margin, inventory, and forecast alignment.

Key Outcomes

Marketing Project Execution

• Delivers assigned marketing initiatives on time, aligned to business unit priorities, project calendars, and required cross-functional inputs.
• Creates visibility to project status, risks, action items, and decisions so teams can resolve barriers and maintain momentum.
• Partners with internal teams and external agencies to ensure marketing deliverables meet approved business objectives and timing.

Product and Portfolio Readiness

• Ensures new styles, costing packets, PLM inputs, and product setup milestones are accurate, complete, and ready for downstream execution.
• Creates line planning and product development readiness by maintaining organized information, coordinating shared Merchandising inputs, and escalating design-related issues to the appropriate cross-functional owner for timely resolution.
• Contributes to product portfolio recommendations that support volume, profit, share, and retailer margin objectives.

Creative, Digital and Retailer Content Execution

• Translates packaging, display, promotional, eCommerce, and retailer needs into clear creative requests and approved deliverables.
• Maintains alignment between product launches, digital content needs, retailer requirements, and consumer-facing brand information.
• Supports effective influencer campaign execution by coordinating content needs, timelines, approvals, and partner inputs that help campaigns launch accurately and on time.
• Improves owned digital readiness by supporting VF.com content management, ensuring product, brand, and promotional information remains accurate, current, and aligned with business priorities.
• Completes approval processes with accuracy and urgency to support in-market readiness and execution quality.

Business Analytics and Recommendations

• Provides accurate weekly and monthly reporting that enables leadership to understand performance, risks, opportunities, and required actions.
• Builds analytical capability by organizing sales trends, inventory signals, pricing inputs, and promotional performance information to support manager-led analysis and recommendations over time.
• Communicates insights and action plans clearly to support business unit goals and strategic priorities.

Commercial Communication and Sell-In Support

• Develops clear presentations and materials, in conjunction with cross-functional partners, that support internal alignment, customer sell-in, new product introductions, and planogram recommendations.
• Represents product and brand information accurately in meetings, broadcasts, and consumer-facing communications as directed by the Company.
• Builds credibility with cross-functional partners by communicating priorities, decisions, and updates in a timely and professional manner.

Budget, Forecast and Inventory Support

• Supports budget management by tracking packaging and display investments, validating invoices, and elevating variances or risks.
• Uses retail sales trends and inventory information to recommend forecast or inventory actions that improve service, sales readiness, and financial outcomes.
• Collaborates with manager, director, planning, forecasting, and finance partners to keep spending and inventory decisions aligned to business priorities.

Competencies

Process Excellence:

Simplifies work, follows through on defined processes, identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, and helps teams execute work with discipline and consistency.

Customer Focus:

Understands the needs of internal teams, retail partners, and consumers, and uses that insight to improve marketing execution, product readiness, and service to stakeholders.

Action Oriented and Drives for Results:

Prioritizes effectively, takes initiative, follows through on commitments, and consistently pushes work forward to meet project, launch, and business goals.

Decision Making and Problem Solving:

Uses facts, analysis, sound judgment, and timely escalation to identify risks, solve issues, and recommend practical business solutions.

Functional and Technical Learning:

Builds and applies marketing, product, analytical, and systems knowledge to support stronger recommendations and more effective execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field.
• 1-3 years of apparel, consumer packaged goods, marketing, digital, merchandising, or related brand/product experience; or 3-5 years of general marketing, digital, merchandising, or brand management experience.
• Strong understanding of marketing mix, including product, pricing, promotion/advertising, distribution, and customer/consumer strategies.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Effective verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to build relationships across levels and functions.
• Demonstrated analytical capability, sound judgment, and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Key Performance Indicators

• Marketing projects, creative deliverables, and product launch milestones completed on time and aligned to approved scope.
• Accuracy and completeness of product setup, PLM/style packet inputs, reports, presentations, and creative requests.
• Quality and timeliness of business analysis support, organized inputs, and action plans that help manager-led recommendations advance volume, profit, share, margin, and growth goals.
• Budget, forecast, inventory, and pricing inputs maintained with appropriate tracking, issue escalation, and alignment to business priorities.
• Stakeholder satisfaction with communication, responsiveness, follow-through, and cross-functional partnership.

Company Information

We offer the following:

• Competitive Pay
• Medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance
• Vacation
• Paid holidays
• 401(k)
• Employee Assistance Program