Kendra Scott Looking for DIRECTOR OF MERCHANDISING at Austin, Texas Full Time

About Kendra Scott:
We are a fun, talented and driven team dedicated to providing our customers with gorgeous products and a WOW! experience. Family, fashion and philanthropy are at the core of our company and though we move at a very fast pace, we are committed to maintaining a family-oriented work environment and giving back to our community.
A passion for great design, dedication to innovation and a strong social media presence are our building blocks for creating a unique and engaging lifestyle brand across all channels, including retail stores, wholesale accounts and e-commerce. Our headquarters are located in the heart of Austin, Texas, and we embrace the unique vibe and energy of our hometown as an inspiration for our brand and company culture.

Position Overview:
The Director of Merchandising is a professional member of the Merchandising team and reports to the VP of Merchandising. This is an exempt salaried position whose primary responsibility is to develop and drive fashion product strategy and the successful delivery of supporting initiatives to maximize sales and profitability, while aligning to the brand vision. In partnership with the VP, the Director will develop and manage the brand’s short and long term product road map, and implement strategies that propel the brand and business forward. Position will be responsible for achieving companywide revenue and margin targets, as well as responsible for successful team development.

Product Strategy & Direction
• Clearly define short and long term product priorities and strategy for Fashion and ColorBar categories
• Communicate strategic vision to drive a balanced, cohesive product assortment that mirrors the brand and consistently appeals to the customers’ taste
• Develop total season line plan with merchandisers and collaborate with Design to effectively combine with creative strategy to build assortments that achieve sales and brand goals
• Oversee creation of a clear pricing structure that ties perceived value, quality and retail pricing together while achieving IMU targets
• Lead development of selling strategies, selling periods, product lifecycles, brand positioning and channel distribution for fashion categories
• Identify brand drivers, business goals and key products by season, communicating seasonal priorities to CFTs for total company alignment
• Partner with Design and Development teams on sourcing new innovative product ideas, techniques and materials to drive business and evolve fashion categories
• Translate big-picture concepts into brand-right, consumer-friendly category direction

Leadership & Cross Functional Partnership
• Lead, inspire and develop the Fashion merchandising team through creative leadership, strategic direction empowerment and transparent communication
• Partner with Director of Planning and Allocation to influence seasonal investment and allocation strategy, ensuring big ideas and growth drivers are protected
• Maintain close partnership with Design on external trends and provide merchandising influence at necessary design milestones
• Collaborate with channel directors to determine ecommerce and in-store presentations and strategies that support merchandising goals
• Partner with Marketing to define targeted consumer groups and integrate targets throughout various planning phases
• Exercise influence across the organization at senior levels to become a proactive, trusted advisor and thought leader on strategic issues to drive results on financial, brand and product decisions
• Ensure clear, 360 degree communication with CFTs gaining buy in on new initiatives and strategies
• Consistently promote collaboration, flexibility and positive company culture while driving change
• Represent department at applicable Wholesale markets and customer meetings

Financial Metrics & Reporting
• Direct content and cadence of department reporting; report merchandising and financial trends and analysis to Senior Leadership to include actionable takeaways, risks and opportunities from a trend, financial and brand perspective
• Partner with Planning team to establish and measure financial expectations and metrics
• Proactively monitor and formally hindsight category and product performance, communicate clear takeaways and establish actionable next steps from learnings
• Ensure IMU% targets are met; work with Design and Development to creatively engineer when needed
• Provide creative solutions for meeting and exceeding financial goals
Industry & Customer Expertise
• Build cadence and objectives of department store visits and competitive shopping; apply findings to merchandising and execution strategies
• Research macro industry trends and landscape; build strategies around key insights for new brand opportunities and communicate any foreseen risks

Our Ideal Candidate will have:
• 10+ years of experience in retail merchandising or related field required
• 5+ years of experience managing and developing a team of successful merchants required
• 4 Year College degree required; B.S Degree in Retail Merchandising preferred
• Multi-channel experience required; Wholesale, Retail and E-commerce
• Strong cross functional leader with proven track record of positive collaboration and ability to drive measurable results on one’s own, through CFT influence and through a team
• Champion for product, brand and customer in all cross-functional initiatives and plans
• Demonstrated ability to build and execute short and long term product strategies and category growth plans
• Strong financial acumen
• Senior level of communication and presentation skills; ability to influence all levels of c